Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School Rewritten
by Storywriter8897
Summary: Lauren Black, daughter of the boogeyman, is the newest student to attend Miss Grimwood's school. She joins the other ghouls right before the big volleyball game and rather than Shaggy and Scooby coaching, Lauren leads to the ghouls to victory. Together, the six friends go on many adventures together. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys, gals, and non-binary pals! This is my first ever fanfiction and it is inspired by arguably the most amazing movie in the Scooby Doo universe. Please be nice but constructive criticism is welcome. I'll try to update this story at least once a week but no promises.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A New Arrival**

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters here except for Lauren, Marcella, Tara, and Jazz.

* * *

Lauren walked up to the school with her father. She had dressed up for the occasion, it being her first day and all, and was wearing a scarlet dress that went down to her knees and a pair of black flats. Her blonde hair was straightened for the occasion and she pushed it out of her eyes as she walked past her father and into the building. Lauren wasn't just going to any school. She was going to Miss Grimwood's Finishing Academy School for Ghouls; an exclusive school for daughters of monsters.

A disembodied hand flew over to her and her father and shook their hands and was followed by a stout woman with jet black hair and a pink dress who walked over and with a smile, said "You must be the new student! Welcome! I'm Miss Grimwood and you must be Lauren."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Grimwood," Lauren replied when something started rubbing against her leg. Looking down, she saw a tiny little green dragon rubbing its head against her leg. She bent down and picked it up before planting a kiss on its forehead and said "Hello, there! What an adorable dragon you are! I'm Lauren. What's your name?"

"That's Matches." Miss Grimwood told her affectionately.

"Matches, hmm?" Lauren cooed. "Sounds like a tough guy name. Are you a tough guy?" In response, Matches flexed his wings and growled before hugging her again. Lauren laughed and said "Positively terrifying."

As Lauren played with the dragon, her father took Miss Grimwood aside and told her "Lauren means the world to me. She is my only child and her mother died when she was younger. She is the only person in this world I love and if anything bad were to happen to her-"

"Mr. Black, the ghouls at my school have never been in any sort of danger before. She will be perfectly safe, I assure you."

Pitch smiled at her and said, "My dear lady, you can call me Pitch if you prefer."

"Well, Pitch, I assure you that your daughter's safety will be my number one concern."

"Thank you, Miss Grimwood." Pitch said, placing a hand on her shoulder before turning to Lauren and saying "I'll be going now, sweetie. I love you."

Lauren sat down Matches and ran towards him before flinging her arms around his torso. "Goodbye, father. I love you." Pitch kissed the top of her head before grabbing the edge of his cloak and twisting it, disappearing into the nearest shadow.

Miss Grimwood placed a hand on Lauren's shoulder and said "Come along, deary. I bet the other girls are just dying to meet you." A loud howl followed by a bat flying by came as a reply to Miss Grimwood's statement. "Ah, here's one of them now." Miss Grimwood said as the bat flew in front of Lauren's face and turned into a girl.

"I'm Sibella, Count Dracula's daughter. Fangtastic to meet you," she said.

Lauren held out her hand and said "I'm Lauren, the boogeyman's daughter. It's nice to meet you, too."

The same howl from earlier suddenly filled the air, but the source was seen this time. "Helloooo! I'm Winnie the werewolf." said the new girl.

"Hi! I'm Lauren, the boogeyman's daughter."

Another girl came through the door then. "Hi, I'm Elsa Frankenteen."

"Hi, I'm Lauren."

A head popped out of the wall, soon followed by the rest of the body and the girl said, "Hi, I'm Phantasma."

"Lauren. It's a pleasure."

A small girl bobbed into the room and yawned very loudly. "I'm Tanis. Are you the new girl?" Tanis asked.

"Yeah, I just got here a couple of minutes ago," Lauren replied.

"I hope you're in good shape," Elsa said.

"Good shape for what?" Lauren asked.

"So that you can help us beat those Calloway Cadets," Sibella said.

"Yeah. They win every time. I'll never get a trophy for my mummy case." Tanis sighed.

"What is it that they're beating you guys at?" Lauren asked.

"Why volleyball, of course!" Phantasma replied. "Yes, we have a match against them every year but they always win."

"Volleyball? Oh, I love volleyball!"

"Really? How do you know how to play?" Winnie asked.

"I played all the time at my old school." "You mean you went to another ghoul school before?" Phantasma asked.

"Oh no, I went to a human school."

Everyone gasped audibly at this. "A human school? Didn't they try to chase you away or anything?" Tanis asked.

"No! I had lots of friends and was on the volleyball, tennis, basketball, and track teams."

"Why did you leave, then?" Elsa asked.

"Well, I was asked out by a guy and my father didn't like that so we left home and here I am. I still stay in touch with my friends though. We text pretty often." and Lauren held up her phone for a visual.

"Since you played volleyball, do you think you could help us prepare for the match?" Miss Grimwood asked her.

"Yes of course! When is the match?"

"Next week."

"Not as much time as I'd like us to have, but that'll do. How many of those

Calloway Cadets are there?" "Six." "Excellent. That means we can all play because there's only supposed to be six players on a team."

"Well, I'm glad that's all settled. Let me show you to your room."

"Thank you, Miss Grimwood." In her room, Lauren took out the clothes from her suitcase and put them up in their respective drawers. Then she shrugged out of her dress and shoes and pulled on a pair of shorts and a baggy T-shirt before climbing into bed and going to sleep.

"I was thinking we could start the day off with some early morning exercises." Miss Grimwood explained to Lauren, who was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a sweater, and a pair of black flats.

"Oh, well I'm not really dressed for it."

"Nonsense. I was thinking you and the other girls could do some ballet is all. Here's you a tutu."

"Well, thank you." She said, pulling it on. The music began and the girls started dancing, Lauren trying to keep up with the strange routine. Nervously, she glanced over at Sibella and said, "How am I doing?"

"Fangtastic, Lauren! We'll be in great shape when we play those Cadets in volleyball." Sibella said, twirling around.

After a hearty ballet practice, Lauren suggested, "How about we go on a run and then maybe practice some volleyball?"

"That sounds like a marvelous idea, Lauren! You girls have fun." Miss Grimwood beamed at them before leaving.

"When do we start?" Winnie asked, howling with joy.

"Well, we can't go running in these outfits. What we need is proper clothing." Lauren said.

"But we always play in our normal clothes." Phantasma started, confused.

"And that may be why you always lose. People who play in proper athletic attire always

have a better performance than those who do not. What we need are some team uniforms but for the time being, you guys can train in some of my stuff. C'mon." and Lauren walked them into her room. She was searching through her stuff when she found her phone. Inspiration took over and she said "Gather round, ghouls!" They gathered around her as she held up her phone. "Look into the camera and smile," Lauren commanded and they did so. She snapped a picture and showed them. "This is called a selfie. It's where a person takes a picture of themselves and a group of friends." Lauren explained as they all stared.

"Oh, can we take another one?" Sibella asked.

"Yeah, but with funny faces?" Tanis added.

"Heck yeah!" Lauren said, holding up the phone again. This time, she scrunched up her eyes, crossed them, and stuck her tongue out. Everyone struck a face and the picture was taken. "Those look great!" she exclaimed before starting her search for clothes. She pulled out a pair of shoes, shorts, and a running tank for everyone, including herself, before handing them out. Lauren tugged her own stuff on including one of her favorite running tanks that said "I Run-I'm slower than a turtle stampeding through peanut butter-but I Run" She pulled out her phone and was uploading the pictures to Instagram and Snapchat with the title 'Just hanging with the ghouls'.

Phantasma floated over and asked her "Are you really that slow a runner?"

"Oh, no! It's just a shirt. It's meant to be funny. I've got dozens of them." She pocketed her phone and asked, "Are you girls ready to run?" That was met with a chorus of agreement. "Let's go, then." On the way outside, Lauren pulled her hair up into a ponytail. Once out the door, she set the pace and the other girls filed in behind her.

"There's nothing like feeling the wind running through your hair!" Sibella said, letting it fly behind her.

"This is good for the heart. Mine are both beating fast." Elsa said from behind her.

"Ahoooo! How ya doin' Tanis?" Winnie asked her.

"Great, Winnie! I've got built-in leg warmers."

"I just love running through the trees!" Elsa said.

"Me too!" Phantasma said, literally running through one of the trees nearby.

"Nice one, Phantasma!" Lauren called from the front. "What say you girls speed things up a little bit?" "Yeah!" And with that, Lauren picked up the pace. They ran until they arrived at the volleyball court. It was severely overgrown with weeds and vegetation and was placed near a small orchard of crab apple trees. The ghouls started devouring them while Lauren picked one up and asked, "What is it?"

"They're crab apples! They're fangtastic!" Sibella said.

Lauren bit one and chewed. "Oh my gosh! These are amazing!" She quickly ate the rest. The girls ate their fill of crab apples before Lauren wiped her hands off and said, "Ok, girls, we should probably clean off the volleyball court."

"And when we're finished, can we take another picture?" Winnie asked.

"Yeah and we can hashtag it 'Team victory!'"

"What's a hashtag?" Elsa asked.

"A hashtag is something you add if you want to categorize it with a certain topic," Lauren explained. "How about I put some music on for us to work to?"

"Oh, is it opera?" Phantasma asked.

"Er, no," Lauren replied.

"Does it cause chills to run down a person's spine?" Winnie asked her.

"No," Lauren repeated.

"Is it Egyptian?" Tanis asked.

"No, it's contemporary pop." This was received with blank stares. "Look, just listen," Lauren said, plugging her phone up into her speaker, turning the volume all the way up, and playing a playlist on Spotify. The air was suddenly full of music that got the ghouls dancing. "It's not opera, but it's still good," Lauren said, making her way towards the weeds.

"Good? This music is fangtastic!" Sibella said as she helped Lauren clear the court.

An hour later, the girls had fully cleared the court and replanted the weeds several yards away from the court. Reaching into her drawstring bag, Lauren pulled out a volleyball and said "Okay, ghouls, there are three types of hits that you can do with a volleyball. Do any of you know any of them?" When this was met with silence, Lauren tossed the ball lightly with her hands and said, "The three types are the bump, set, and spike." Then she demonstrated each one in turn before going on. "The bump is the most common type, used in most situations unless the allowance of another is provided. A set is best used when closer to the net and a spike should only be used if you are right beside the net. I say we divide up into groups of twos and practice bumping, setting, and spiking to one another then, later on, we can practice serving, and then we can actually play."

They divided into groups of two; Winnie and Tanis, Phantasma and Elsa, and Lauren and Sibella. They got on different sides of the net and practiced each hit in turn. They worked at it for nearly thirty minutes before Lauren said "All right, girls, I propose we work on serving now." and they did for the next ten minutes.

Lauren stopped the practice yet again to suggest "Alright, ghouls, we should divide into groups of three and play a real game." and so they did. Lauren, Sibella, and Phantasma on one side and Tanis, Winnie, and Elsa on the other. Lauren, because of experience, served first and the game began. She beamed as Tanis ran up and bumped it back over the net and Phanty set it back over only for Winnie to set it back which was then bumped back over by Sibella only for Elsa to bump it high into the air. Lauren ran forward, jumped up in the air, and spiked it, hard, into the ground. "First group with 21 wins," Lauren said as she landed back on the ground. It took a long time before anyone got to twenty-one but after finally two hours of hard playing, Lauren's team won twenty one to nineteen. "Good game, girls! Really. Now, about that picture, Winnie asked for." They all piled up by the court and Lauren snapped picture after picture, passing around the volleyball so that everyone got a turn holding it. Then individual pictures were taken with the ghouls posing with the volleyball by the net. After a while, the sun began to set. "Okay girls, pack it in, we need to head back to the school. It's getting late."

"Can we race back?" Winnie asked.

"Oh most certainly," Lauren replied. The girls were quick to line up as Lauren scooped up her bag and put it on. "To make things interesting, the winner should be the one who gets to design the shirts we wear to that volleyball match."

"You might as well just give me the paper because I'm going to win," Winnie said.

"Care to put your money where your mouth is?" Lauren asked.

"What?" Winnie asked her.

"Expression waisted." Lauren mumbled before saying loudly "Ready, set, GO!" and she was off like a flash, closely followed by the other ghouls. They booked it back to the school, Lauren winning by a hair.

"I know you're now in charge of making shirts but could you still make them blue?" Phantasma asked her.

"Phanty, I said if one of you won. Since I did, we'll all just have to work together to make those shirts."

"Can we do it now?" Tanis asked.

"Sure. Follow me to my room." The ghouls walked into Lauren's room and she plugged her phone into the speaker, playing the music from earlier. She moved around her drawers, pulling out several color swatches before asking "Which one do you ghouls want to use for the shirts?" She laid out swatches of blue, purple, lime green, pink, and white. She looked over to see each ghoul holding a different swatch. Sibella held the purple, Phantasma the blue, Winnie the white, Tanis the pink, and Elsa held the lime green. Lauren smiled and said "I suppose we can each have a different colored shirt. What we need to decide now is what we want them to say." There was a collective moment of silence while everyone pondered what the shirts should say.

"What about 'Grimwood Ghouls?" Sibella suggested.

"Oh, I like that. What about you, ghouls?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah, nice one, Sibella," Winnie said when her stomach grumbled.

"You know, when me and my friends were over at each other's houses, we would usually order pizza while we hung out. It's almost like having you ghouls over, hanging out in my room is almost as good as hanging out at my place. Anybody want pizza?"

Winnie whimpered appreciatively before saying "Pizza! I love pizza!" The others nodded and Lauren dug around in her purse.

"I've got several Transylvanian dollars from father. Five should do it." And with that, she spun in a circle, a trick Pitch had taught her and disappeared. She landed outside the pizza joint. Lauren walked inside and said, "Three pizzas with everything on them except garlic would be great, please."

"Hanging out with a vampire, hmm?" The guy working at the register asked her.

"Yep. And I like this one so it wouldn't do to have her dissolve into ashes."

The guy laughed and asked "Who's your monster parent? You look like a human."

"I may look like a human, but looks are the only thing we have in common. Pitch Black's my father, you know, the boogeyman." Lauren said, smiling slightly.

"King of the monster world, hmm? I suppose I'll have to check under my bed tonight, huh?"

"You never know," Lauren replied innocently.

The man laughed before saying "That'll be four Transylvanian dollars."

Lauren exchanged the money for three hot pizzas. "Thanks, dude," Lauren said, before spinning on the spot and appearing back in her room. She laid the pizzas out and said "Three pizzas with everything on them, except garlic, of course. Got an extra bit of spiderwebs because I know the chef and there's also snails, tadpole tails, and rat's eyes." The girls each took a slice of pizza and ate while Lauren tucked away the shirt swatches. They could work on those later.

Lauren crashed on her bed and grabbed a pillow and held it in her lap. "So what do you ghouls normally do for fun around here? I know that volleyball is the only sport you guys play, and it's an annual game so you won't have any sports teams but what about clubs? Do you have a Key Club, a student council, a yearbook club, or even a book club? Or maybe a chess club? You don't need a lot of people for that."

"No, we don't have any sort of clubs. We usually are either working on school work or preparing for the volleyball match or the Halloween party with our parents." Sibella explained.

"You don't have any dances or parties or pep rallies or anything?"

"No. But what's a pep rally?" Phantasma asked.

"A pep rally is where everyone in the school gets together for a few hours and celebrates. The marching band plays music and- oh my gosh tell me you at least have a marching band!"

"No, we don't. And we are the whole school. Just the six of us with Miss Grimwood as the only teacher." Elsa explained.

"You mean all you do is classes, volleyball, and the Halloween bash?"

"Yep," Winnie replied.

"You don't hang out in each other's rooms? Spend the night? Watch chick flicks and talk about boys?"

"What's a chick flick?" Tanis asked in response.

"Girls! There is so much you must learn!"

"But isn't that human stuff? We're ghouls, not girls." Winnie said.

"But I'm a ghoul and I like doing human girl stuff and anybody that wants to do some human girl stuff with me tonight is perfectly allowed to. Those that don't, help yourself to some pizza and feel free to leave." When nobody left, Lauren smiled before saying "There are lots of things human girls do at what is called a sleepover. A sleepover is where a group of two or more girls spend the night at one of their friend's houses. Since we don't have houses, we can use our rooms, and for the time being, my room. Now at a sleepover, girls do various things. They eat snacks like we did ie. the pizza, they watch movies, they take selfies, lots of those, they have pillow fights, they play games like truth or dare and would you rather?, and they talk."

"What do girls talk about?" Tanis asked.

"Anything that comes to mind. Who they think is cute, who they have a crush on, guys that they've dated but broke up with. But they don't just talk about boys. Girls can talk about school, clubs, sports, what college they want to go to, what they want their wedding to look like, funny stories, things like that."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" Phantasma asked with a giggle.

"Good conversation starter. Before I begin, everyone sits down and get comfy." Lauren threw the pillow aside as everyone clambered on the bed and got comfortable, the pizzas in the middle. "I personally have never had a boyfriend. I moved because I was asked out. But, I did have some best friends who were guys. Could I show you guys pictures of my old friends?" When the heads finished nodding their consent, Lauren pulled out her phone and brought up a photo album full of pictures of her old friends.

Here's a group picture of me with my closest friends. I'm the blonde one on the far right. The girl on the far left is Tara. Beside Tara is Jazz and beside her is Marcella. Those are my three closest friends. I have a lot of pictures with them. There we are drinking Starbucks, there we are trying on beach hats at a store, there we are at the beach, there we are at a school dance, at a pep rally, a football game we went to a lot of those, middle school graduation, at driver's ed, there are me and Jazz at track, me and Marcella at tennis, me and Marcella at volleyball, me and Tara at basketball, me, Jazz, and Tara at the VA, and the rest are just random. Now that you know everybody here's more pictures at dances, pep rallies, clubs, football games, and during class and lunch. It may be a bit overwhelming, seeing all these people and knowing they all went to school with me but my school had seven to eight hundred people in it."

"So where's the boy that caused you to move?" Tanis asked her.

"Oh, my father deleted his pictures from my phone. He was okay with every other guy because they were just my friends but Tug wanted to be my boyfriend so that was the end of that." Lauren sighed before saying "So what about you ghouls? Anyone here got a thing for a Calloway cadet?" She knew that was the wrong thing to say as soon as she did.

"No. Those cadets are awful. They always win, but it's the gloating and the teasing that annoys us." Winnie said.

"Though the new one isn't that bad. The newest, sixth, Cadet hasn't teased us." Tanis allowed.

"Only because he joined nowhere near the volleyball match." Elsa replied.

"Well, this year's going to be different. We're going to win and that's the end of it. Mark my words, ghouls when I say that by the end of this week, Tanis will have a trophy for her mummy case!" Lauren said. After the cheering died down, Lauren asked "You ghouls wanna watch your very first chick flick? There's no tv so we'll have to use my phone."

"What's a chick flick?" Phantasma asked.

"It's a movie, mainly for women, usually with some kind of romance or comedy. Or we can watch an action movie. You know what, I know this one movie series you ghouls would love. It's called Harry Potter and it's about this boy wizard who is sucked into this magical world full of magical creatures and he has to battle this one evil wizard to set the wizarding world free. There's wizards, mermaids, werewolves, ghosts, thestrals, unicorns, dragons, phoenixes, centaurs, a basilisk, giant spiders, dementors, and all sorts of strange things that you ghouls would love. Whaddya say? Your first ever movie be one of the best ever made?"

"You had me at werewolves." Winnie said.

"And me at ghosts!" Phantasma giggled.

"All of those big, scary monsters! I totally want to watch it!" Tanis cried.

"Yeah, those monsters will be cool." Elsa agreed.

"You bat! It'll be fangtastic!" Sibella said, stretching before curling up into a ball.

Lauren pushed the pizzas onto a counter and stretched out on the bed so that everyone could see her phone before starting the movie. YouTube is a beautiful thing.

* * *

 **AN: Well, that's my first chapter. I hope you lovely readers enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Five New Names**

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters here except for Lauren, Marcella, Tara, and Jazz.

* * *

Much later in the night, when all the movies were over and all the ghouls asleep on her bed, piled on top of each other, Lauren, in the thick of things, was casually flicking through pictures on her phone, looking over all the pictures she had taken that day and applying them to Instagram and Snapchat. Every Instagram included a #ghoulsrule and every Snap involved the word 'ghoul', the pet name she had attached to her new, fast friends.

As she was looking through the ones from tonight, a shadow, darker than the darkness that already filled the room, appeared beside her. Looking up, Lauren saw it and smiled. She held out her hand for the creature to nudge and petted it on the head. "Hey, Onyx. I should have known to see you tonight." The horse-shaped shadow neighed softly. "Yes, I should have known father would send you to check on me. Well, tell him I said thank you for letting me come here. The girls, they've become a part of my family. I've never made friends this fast. I have a lot of friends, but not many like them. I expect I'll be seeing you tomorrow night as well so goodbye for now. I know you've lots of children to scare."

With a soft neigh, Onyx flew off into the night, disappearing into the shadows. Smiling contentedly, Lauren snapped her phone back into her case which conveniently charged her phone for her before getting as comfortable as possible with Sibella's elbow digging into her stomach and Tanis leaning against her and holding her hand in sleep, she stretched before curling up and going to sleep.

Lauren woke early in the morning to see that no one had changed position on the bed but was rather sleeping quite steadily. She carefully slid out of bed, grabbed a piece of pizza from the counter and took a bite. She then proceeded to pull out her phone and checked her notifications. She had new text messages to look at, all from Marcella, Tara, and Jazz.

All of them said along the lines of 'Your new school looks awesome! All you seem to be doing is eating pizza, playing volleyball, and hanging out with those girls. Hope you haven't replaced us already! We miss you, girl! Love you! Talk to you later.'

Lauren texted them all back saying 'That's all I've been doing because my new school rocks! I miss you five like crazy and I could never find suitable replacements for my sisters! Love you all so much. Hopefully next time we'll be able to chat longer. Maybe this evening if you guys are available. Love you!' and she then went to Instagram where each of her pictures each received several hundred likes and enough comments to fill a novel. Most of them were from people she used to go to school with. Smiling, she attempted to read each of them with a straight face but failed miserably after looking at the first one. After a couple of minutes, she checked the time and saw it was almost eight in the morning.

She got up and changed her clothes. She pulled on a pair of black running shorts and a new running tank that said 'That's not sweat I'm just leaking awesome' because today they would be getting leaking a lot of awesome with the work out she had planned. Finishing off her slice of pizza, she roused the other girls with a loud and congratulatory "Congrats! You've just finished your first sleepover! Grab a slice of pizza and let's head out and warm up with some ballet." There was a scramble for pizza and the girls went to the practice room and limbered up for the dance that was being led by Miss Grimwood.

"All that exercise really loosened you up, Tanis." Miss Grimwood said, retightening the mummy's bandages. "A little too much." Suddenly the doorbell rang. "Will you get the door for me, Lauren, Sibella?"

"You bat we will," Sibella said, turning into a bat and flapping around Lauren as they headed toward the foyer of the school. Lauren opened the door and Colonel Calloway walked in, ducking as Sibella flew at, and then past, him, perching on Lauren's shoulder. Lauren shut the door and walked toward Calloway as Sibella jumped off her shoulder and transformed back into her human form. "Hello, Colonel Calloway. Miss Grimwood said to make yourself comfortable. She'll be down as soon as she wraps things up." Lauren sniggered at Sibella's pun.

"Affirmative. Thank you, young lady-" He turned around and stopped at the sight of Lauren and a bat. As the two turned to go back up the stairs, Calloway fiddled with his mustache and said "This school must have bats in its belfry." and he stalked off towards a chair where he promptly sat down and awaited Miss Grimwood.

"All right, ghouls. What say we go for another run for the volleyball court and then practice for the match? We can leave two hours early so we can take a break and let our muscles rest." Lauren added, unconsciously flexing an arm muscle. "Let's go." The ghouls walked down the steps and went out the door, Lauren getting it for them.

She was just about to leave when she overhead Calloway saying "This Friday at fourteen hundred hours me and my cadets will be here for the game. Synchronizing watches, now."

Lauren slipped outside and ran after the girls who were already out of sight. Running her hardest, she caught up with them after a couple of minutes and said "Ghouls, bad news. The match has been rescheduled two o'clock on Friday! It's Tuesday now so after today we'll only have two days to prepare for the match!" Surprisingly, this was met with enthusiasm.

"We'll be ready then! With you on our team and all the preparation you've put up through already, we've got this in the sarcophagus!" Tanis said optimistically.

"You bat, kid!" Sibella agreed.

Lauren smiled. "Alright, team. Let's see just how fast we can get to that court. It's three miles from here so let's see if we can get there in thirty or fewer minutes. Go!" and Lauren ran even faster, the girls tailing her. After a while, the ghouls finally crashed under the crabapple trees by the court and snacked on rotten apples while Lauren checked her watch. Her eyes lit up when she saw the time. "Ghouls! We didn't run three miles in thirty minutes! We ran it in eighteen! Do you know how good that is? Professional good! If we don't win that match on Friday, it'll only have been because the Cadets cheated. Good job, girls." Lauren congratulated them before sliding down the trunk of a tree in between Phantasma and Winnie.

After a moment, the only apples on the ground where apple cores and nobody wanted to get up and get any. An argument vibe filled the air when Lauren was overcome with a brilliant notion. "Ghouls, check this out." She opened her palm, closed it tight, then opened it up again to reveal a small, horse-shaped, shadow.

"What is that?" Elsa asked.

"A trick my father taught me. It's a mini nightmare. Now watch this." She set it on the trunk of the tree and the shadow disappeared. Seconds later, the tree shuddered violently before shaking furiously, sending apples raining down on the girls. Before the ghouls got clobbered, Lauren threw her hand up and a shadow appeared over them, freezing the apples. "Is that enough to satisfy you, ghouls?"

They all clapped approvingly and Lauren waved her hand gently from left to right and the shadow disappeared. The apples, free from their prison, dropped slowly into their laps and the horse-shaped shadow jumped out of the tree and onto Lauren's shoulder. It rubbed its head against her cheek and Lauren held out her palm. The horse dove into it and disappeared. Then she plucked up another apple and happily bit into it. After a moment, she interrupted the bliss and said "I'm going to go stretch and begin to practice. Feel free to join at any moment."

She ran one lap around the court before stretching heartily. Then she fished a ball out of her bag and began bumping it around. After a moment, she lined up and served. The ball flew through the air and landed on the far side of the court opposite of the net. She went to retrieve the ball just as Sibella joined her and they played around, bumping, setting, spiking, and serving to one another until all the other girls joined.

They stayed in the teams they were in; Sibella, Tanis, and Winnie vs Lauren, Elsa, and Phantasma. They played for several hours and were ready for another match when Lauren checked the time. It was past seven. "Ghouls, I say we grab another apple and head back to Grimwood's. Toss me that ball, will you, Tanis?" Tanis bumped it perfectly into Lauren's hands. "Nice one, kid," Lauren said, easing it into her bag. She stooped, swiped an apple from the ground and jogged off, the ghouls around her. She was about to take a bite of the apple but decided to save it for Onyx in case he showed up again that night.

In her room, Lauren slung her bag onto the floor, set the apple on the nightstand beside her bed, and pulled out the five swatches her friends had picked out as well as one of her own. With a little bit of work and magic, she had made six tanks out of the colors of preference. All that was left was to find something to put on them. She remembered Sibella suggesting Grimwood Ghouls so Lauren pulled out some cloth and set to work. With a bit more work, and magic, she had six tanks of varying colors that all read on the front Grimwood Ghouls in large, elegant lettering and on the back read each person's name and in minuscule print, Ghouls before Fools, a playoff of Sisters before Misters. Sighing at a job well done, she laid down on her bed and fell asleep.

In the morning, Lauren noted that the apple was gone. "So Onyx did like it. I'll have to leave him one every night then." Lauren muttered, getting out of bed and pulling on a running tank that read 'Working Out: the poor man's plastic surgery' and a pair of blue running shorts. Checking the time, she saw it was just past eight in the morning and didn't know if the other ghouls were up or not so she headed down to the kitchen for a bit of breakfast. She poured herself a glass of toadstool tea and ate a poison berry muffin.

Finishing it, she walked around the school, pausing by each ghoul's room to see if she could hear anything from inside. Once satisfied that there was no noise being emitted from any of their rooms, she went back into hers. Opening the door, Lauren froze.

Inside were all the ghouls, searching for her.

Tanis was the first one to see her. "There she is!" the little mummy cried. All of the other ghouls turned in the direction of the doorway and sighed at the sight of Lauren.

"We've been looking for you for ages," Elsa said.

"Where've you been?" Winnie asked.

"Looking for you lot, of course," Lauren replied. "Anyway, I've got something for you all." She walked over to a drawer and opened it. Turning to Tanis, she held out a shirt and said, "Here, I hope you enjoy your first ever Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Ghouls volleyball shirt." It was pink with navy blue writing.

Tanis hugged it to her chest and said, "I love it!" Lauren beamed before handing a white shirt with lime green writing to Winnie, a green shirt with silver writing to Elsa, a light blue shirt with black writing to Phantasma, and lastly a purple shirt with red writing to Sibella.

After the girls admired their shirts, Sibella asked "And what does your look like, Lauren?"

Lauren fished her own shirt out and showed them all the red shirt with golden writing on it. "I didn't know what color to make mine so I just went with a Harry Potter house color. I've always felt I would end up in Gryffindor so I chose the Gryffindor colors of scarlet and gold for my team shirt. It doesn't look stupid, does it?" Lauren asked fearfully.

"No way! It's fangtastic!" Sibella reassured her.

"Yeah, you'll look like a really cool ghoul in that," Tanis said.

"It's off the walls!" Phantasma agreed.

Beaming at them all, Lauren refolded her shirt and placed it back in its own drawer to keep it nice and creaseless for the match on Friday. "Put your shirts up, ghouls. You will have plenty of time to admire them after we win the game on Friday. Now let's go practice." Lauren watched as they filed out of her room. She didn't mean to be bossy because she didn't feel entitled to boss them around but it happened naturally with the consideration of her father being king of the monsters and her being the only qualified ghoul to lead the training for the volleyball match but what bothered her was the ease of which the other ghouls did whatever she told them to do. It felt as though she had them under some kind of mind control or something. It was disconcerting. Frowning, Lauren shouldered the bag full of volleyballs and walked out of her room and into the foyer; awaiting the arrival of the other girls.

"Okay, ghouls, it's the night before the big volleyball match. You all put in a fantastic effort during practices over the past week and there is no chance of us losing this game! We'll warm up a bit before the match and after that, just do what you do doing practice and we will be, to use the common phrase, fangtastic!" Lauren said, winking at Sibella.

Sibella walked over to Lauren and said "We're all really glad you came when did. If you hadn't, we wouldn't be anywhere near as ready as we are now. You've really brought us all together and made us a real team which would be a first for us. You're a fangtastic leader."

Lauren's face fell at that. "That's what I think may be the problem. I don't mind stepping up and leading when there's no other option, but I feel like I'm controlling you ghouls. I feel like I've made you think you have to do what I say but you don't."

"Lauren, what are you talking about? We follow your lead because we want to. We listen to you because you know what you're doing. We don't do it because you've got us under some sort of mind control. I think you're stressing out about the game a little too much."

"Yeah, something like that," Lauren muttered, rubbing her arm sheepishly.

Sibella frowned slightly before grinning, taking Lauren's hands in hers, and saying "Look, you're one of us now. You're a Grimwood Ghoul."

"And there is no higher honor than that," Lauren replied. "You're right. I was being stupid, thinking ghouls such as yourselves would do anything I told you to do if you didn't want to. Too stubborn, the lot of you."

Sibella playfully nudged Lauren for saying that but smiled nonetheless. "That's the spirit! How about a pregame selfie with the team?" Sibella asked.

"Yeah, that's a great idea. And we can take one tomorrow when we're in team uniform. Let's gather up the other ghouls." Sibella and Lauren rounded up the others and everyone positioned themselves before Lauren took the picture. Teeth gleaming, everyone smiled with the high of pregame excitement. Then they readjusted and took a silly one. Lauren posted them both with a #bigmatchtomorrow before facing the ghouls again and telling them "It's way past midnight and we do have that big game at two tomorrow so-"

"Goodnight, Lauren!" Tanis jumped ahead, as though able to read the older girls thoughts, and hugged her tight. Lauren picked her up and hugged her close. "I love you," Tanis whispered.

"Oh, I love you, too, kid. You're going to do great tomorrow, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to you for being the best coach ever."

"I've not coached you guys, not really, I've been practicing as much as you guys and-"

"We know you're a student as well but that doesn't mean you haven't been our coach any less. You've been like our coach, our sister, our friend, and we love you for it." Tanis concluded.

Lauren blinked back tears before grinning hugely and saying "I love you girls, too."

"Group hug!" Phantasma cried out and suddenly Lauren wasn't only being hugged by

Tanis, but by Winnie, Elsa, Phantasma, and Sibella as well. Lauren smiled and shut her eyes in bliss, hugging them all tightly back.

Later that night, Lauren felt a tug on her sleeve. "Ugh." she moaned but didn't open her eyes. The tugging began again, this time more furiously. Lauren leaped up then and looked around, wide-eyed, only to spot Tanis, clutching a small teddy bear. Her face softening, Lauren asked the younger girl "What's up, Tanis?"

"I had a nightmare and I was wondering if I could sleep with you."

Lauren bent over and plucked the ghoul off the ground and pulled her onto the bed. She tucked her in and Tanis almost immediately fell asleep. Lauren, however, stayed up and waited for what she knew would come through her door at any moment. Nightmares didn't bother her because of who she was but everyone else was fair game so Lauren had asked her father to allow her to make a list of people that she didn't want to be affected by his Nightmares. She wasn't allowed to put but those closest to her on it so so far it only had three names; Marcella, Tara, and Jazz.

When the first Nightmare appeared, Lauren held out her hand and commanded "Stop." which it immediately did. "You will leave this school, along with any other Nightmares that are here. You will give this list of new names to add to the list of people he is not allowed to send Nightmares too." and with that, she quickly scrawled down the names Sibella, Tanis, Phantasma, Winnie, and Elsa down on a sheet of paper and thrust it into the Nightmare. "That list is your top priority. Tomorrow night, I want word from my father that he's put the names down on the list and has accepted all of them. That will be all." and with that, the Nightmare left, rounding up its other brethren from the school. Lauren looked down at Tanis and smiled at the sleeping ghoul before turning over, pulling the blankets over her shoulder, and falling into a deep, nightmare less, sleep before the day's upcoming match.

* * *

 **I hope you lot liked chapter 2. I'll try to publish the third chapter soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Familiar Face**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

* * *

"Oh, my! It's a tentacle to two! Those Calloway Cadets will be arriving here any minute." Miss Grimwood said.

"Okay, Miss Grimwood. Ghouls, you heard her, we should really get going." Lauren said, walking out the door.

"Our shirts are so snazzy." Phantasma said as they walked towards the court. Lauren had brought her extra volleyballs in case something happened to Calloway's. She was just putting her hair up when the Cadets showed up.

"Well, everyone's here so let the game begin!" Miss Grimwood cried.

"Negative, Miss Grimwood, we need a referee."

"Oh, I know someone who would be perfect for the job!" Lauren said, pulling her cell phone out of her bag. "I'll just need to make two phone calls." And without preamble, she called the first person on her list. "Hello? Coach K! It's so good to hear from you again. Yes, this is Lauren. Yes, I'm enjoying my new school, thanks for asking. Actually, I have one teeny little favor I'd like to ask of you. We're about to win, er, I mean play, a little game of volleyball and we need a referee. I was wondering if you would be interested seeing as you coached girls volleyball and all. Oh, you will? That's fangtastic! My father will be there in a flash to pick you up. Thanks!"

Lauren hung up and called the second person on her list. "Hello? Father! I was wondering if you could pick someone up for me and bring them to the volleyball court just outside my school? Will you? Oh, thank you! It's Coach K, you know, my old school's volleyball, girl's basketball, and track coach? See you in five minutes? Okay! Thank you! Love you! Bye."

Lauren put her cell phone away and said, "Don't you worry, Colonel, my father will be here with the referee in five minutes."

"But the game was scheduled to start at two!"

"Well, it's not my fault that you didn't think to bring a referee. We have the court so that should have been your responsibility but I'm sure Coach K will be more than able to referee the match."

"How do we know she won't let you all win since you know her?" asked a Cadet. "Let me tell you something." Lauren snapped at them. "Coach K may love me, but that woman wouldn't give me something I didn't deserve no matter what. She took off points from my essay because it was too long. She gave me a B on a project because I stuttered during the presentation. She wouldn't let me and my friends partner up during her class because she said we wouldn't focus as hard if we were together. The only reason Coach K would be biased is if she was possessed."

Lauren suddenly did a quick head count of the Cadets. There were only five. She turned to the Colonel and asked him "Where's your sixth player?"

The Colonel suddenly looked over his Cadets and called out "Roper! Where are you?"

A voice panted "Sorry, sir, I was in the bathroom and didn't know we were supposed to be leaving for the match." Roper suddenly appeared through the trees but froze when he saw Lauren. "Lauren?" he asked.

She faced him, confused, and her jaw dropped. "Tug?"

"What are you doing here?" They asked each other simultaneously.

"You first." Tug told her.

"I moved because father didn't approve of you asking me out and said I wasn't ever allowed near you again. Now, what are you doing here?"

"When you moved away and out of the blue at that, I ditched school for a week trying to contact you but somehow your number got deleted from my phone and as punishment my parents sent me to military school."

"Dude, you ditched school because I left?"

"Well, yeah, because I loved you."

Before Lauren could respond, a car popped out of the ground. It was a sleek, black, Mercedes. "That'll be father with Coach K," Lauren said just as Coach K exited the car. As soon as she exited, the door slammed shut and disappeared in a plume of smoke.

"Lauren!" Coach K said as Lauren hugged her.

"It's been such a long time since I've seen you," Lauren said, pulling away. "Thank you for coming to referee our volleyball game."

"No problem." Lauren took the ball from the Cadets and handed it to Coach K and said, "You know what to do."

Coach K nodded, sat in the referee's chair and said "Okay, teams, I want a nice, clean game from all of you. Since moral code dictates ladies first, we'll let the-" she stopped, not knowing the teams.

"The Grimwood Ghouls versus the Calloway Cadets." Lauren filled in for her.

"The Grimwood Ghouls shall serve first. Line up, teams." She tossed the ball to Lauren who was in the serving spot.

"Give it all you got, Lauren," Elsa said.

"Right," Lauren said, throwing the ball high up in the air before smacking it with the heel of her hand. The ball rocketed through the air, knocking into Baxter, who had gone for it.

"First point, Grimwood!" Coach K said as the ball was tossed to Elsa for her to serve.

"Go, Elsa!" Tanis cheered.

Elsa threw the ball and sent it through the net and into Tug and Grunt who both shot backward. "Netball!" Coach K said.

"I'd say it's a net loss." said cadet Roger.

"Affirmative." agreed Miguel.

"Hit the ball a little higher," Lauren suggested to Elsa.

"Alright, Lauren," Elsa said, rocketing it into the air.

"Nice hit!" Winnie cheered.

"I've got it!" Baxter cried before being pelted into the ground.

"Point goes to Grimwood." Coach K said, making the score 2:0.

After a while, the game was tied at 10:10. Jamal served the ball and Phantasma went to get it but in doing so, she went through the net. "Point goes to Calloway."

"All the way with Calloway!" the Cadets cheered. Tug looked over at Lauren and smiled but she turned her chin up to him and looked away.

"We're never going to win that trophy, are we Sibella?" Tanis cried.

"You bat we are!" Sibella replied, turning into a bat. When the ball came at her, she spiked it with her wing and beat it into the ground.

"Nice one, Sibella!" Lauren said, high fiving her after she had transformed back into her human form. The score was tied yet again, this time at 11:11.

Sibella walked over to Tug and yanked the ball out of his hands, saying "Our serve, Cadet." She handed the ball to Tanis and said "Here, Tanis. Let's see a fangtastic serve." Tanis served, but her wrapping attached to the ball.

The Cadets made to hit the ball but it shot back into Tanis's outstretched arms just as the boys crashed through the net. The score was now 12:11.

Miguel on the Cadet's team sneered over at the Grimwood girls before telling his teammates "They won't be winning for long. I've planted a remote control device in the volleyball." The others sniggered.

"Goodbye, Grimwood," said Jamal with a sneer.

Tanis served the ball and it flew through the air perfectly. "Looks good, Tanis," Lauren commented.

"I'll make it look bad," Miguel said, pressing a button on the remote. The ball flew out of bounds.

"Out of bounds!" Coach K shouted.

"Then it's Calloway's ball," Baxter said, grabbing it.

"Don't worry, Tanis, we'll get them this time," Lauren said to the younger girl.

"Not unless this battery runs out." Miguel sniggered, maneuvering the ball so that none of the Grimwood girls were able to hit it. Unfortunately for him, though, the ball went into the moat and was history. "Ugh." Miguel groaned, tossing the remote aside.

"Don't worry, I brought another ball," Lauren said, fishing one out of her bag. "Let's win this, yeah?" she asked the other ghouls, before laying into the ball. It shot past the Calloways and landed just on the line.

"Grimwood's point!" The score was now 13:14.

The score was tied at 19:19. "Two more points, men, and this trophy will be ours!" Colonel Calloway leered.

"Unless the girls score another point in the meantime." Coach K reminded him.

"Yes, of course," Calloway muttered, handing her the trophy.

Coach K nodded at him before saying "Calloway's serve." Tug served the ball a little nervously and Lauren was able to spike it into the ground.

"Whoa! What a spike." Baxter cried.

"Grimwood's point!" Coach K cried, bringing the score 20:19.

"All right, ghouls, one more point and we win!" Lauren said encouragingly.

"Nice spike, girl." Coach K added, beaming at her.

Lauren shrugged and said "I was coached by the best." before sinking down into a crouch. "Serve up a good one, Sibella, and we'll win!" Lauren told her.

"You bat I will," Sibella promised, throwing the ball in the air.

Miguel pulled out a jetpack and set it on Grunt's back before saying "This jetpack will set you up to spike it into the ground."

"My pleasure. I'll pulverize them!" Grunt agreed just as Sibella served. Grunt punched the ball into the ground fast, but Lauren was faster. She dove under the ball and set it just over the net and out of his reach. The ball hit the ground and rolled over and stopped at the Colonel's feet.

"Point Grimwood!" Coach K said, bringing the score to 21:19. "Grimwood wins!"

"But the ball's out of the bounds!" Calloway argued.

"But it landed in, first." Coach K replied, then eyeing Grunt, said "But I suppose you didn't notice the jetpack on the fat one? That's a clear violation of the rules. Calloway forfeited the match as soon as he strapped it on. The Grimwood's won based off pure talent alone." And Coach K handed Lauren the trophy and she was instantly crowded around by the girls.

"You were fangtastic, Lauren!" Sibella cheered.

"So were you, girls!" Lauren replied, blushing hotly. Lauren turned to Tanis and said

"Here, Tanis. Take this for your mummy case." and she handed the young ghoul the trophy.

"Wow! Thanks, Lauren!" Tanis replied, hugging the trophy.

Lauren turned to Coach K and said "My father will be here to take you back to the school right about... now." and with that, the car popped out of the ground and the door opened. Coach K clambered in and the car disappeared. Elsa, Phantasma, and Sibella scooped Lauren up and carried her back towards the castle, Winnie and Tanis running and cheering in their wake, Miss Grimwood walking behind them. Lauren turned around, eyed Tug, and smiled at him. Tug smiled back and waved. Lauren waved at him briefly before turning back to the ghouls and pulling out her phone. She took a victory selfie and quickly posted it everywhere with the #Winners.

* * *

"Awhoo! This is going to be our happiest Halloween ever!" Winnie exclaimed, putting a Jack o lantern on the window sill.

"Yeah, because we finally have a trophy to show our parents when they come to visit." Tanis cried, holding the trophy up to catch the light in.

"What's the open house, exactly?" Lauren asked, toting around another Jack o lantern.

"It's only the biggest party at the Grimwood during the school year," Sibella explained, hanging a replica skeleton. "Mmm. Something smells rotten!" Sibella suddenly said, dashing over to the kitchen, Lauren following her.

"Deliciously rotten! Swamp brownies, fresh from the oven!" Lauren cried as a tray of them was passed under the girls' noses.

"Phantasma, are those caterpillar cookies ready to bake yet?" Miss Grimwood asked the ghoul.

"They will be as soon as I catch them!" Phantasma replied, chasing caterpillars with a net.

"Who's coming to this open house, anyway?" Lauren asked.

"Everyone, Lauren! My daddy, Dracula." Sibella said, holding up a picture of a bat.

"It's a bat picture of him but he'll show up after sundown."

"Does that mean my father will show up, too?" Lauren asked, picking at a loose thread on her sweater. She had exchanged the running attire for a knitted white sweater with blue stripes, a pair of light blue skinny jeans, and a pair of cream-colored sandals. She leaned out the window sill with Sibella and admired the sunset. Lauren looked down and saw the monsters were arriving. She showed Sibella before the two ran down the stairs and into the foyer. The door opened and in swept the Phantom.

Phantasma flew into him and hugged him tightly. "Father, this is the new student!"

"Phanty has told me so much about you!" The Phantom said, extending his hand.

Lauren shook it and said "I'm Lauren. It's nice to meet you." Lauren turned around to see Sibella standing there, a bat flying around her which with a flash turned into Dracula.

"So nice to see new blood at Grimwood," he said to Lauren.

Lauren shook his hand and said "I'm Lauren. It's a pleasure to meet you, Count.

Dracula smiled and said, "This girl is vonderful, Sibella!"

"She's fangtastic!" Sibella agreed.

Elsa and Frankenstein burst through the door, then. "There they are, dada," Elsa said, pointing.

Tanis and the Mummy followed. "Who are you?" the Mummy asked of Lauren.

"My daughter." came a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned. Out of the shadows stepped Pitch.

"Pitch? Good to see you, man. I didn't know you had enrolled your daughter!" The Mummy said.

"And I would appreciate it if you put her down so she won't get hurt." Pitch finished without preamble, ignoring the pleasantries the Mummy was trying to engage in with him.

"Hurt her? I want to hug her! For making my daughter feel like a winner." And Lauren was scooped up in a hug by the Mummy.

"I'll howl to that. Let's give her three cheers!" The werewolf said, Winnie by his side.

"Awhoooooooo!" Winnie and her father howled three times as everyone else cheered.

Suddenly a bell chimed and Miss Grimwood appeared, saying "Now that everyone's acquainted, let's go downstairs for refreshments." And she leads the way towards the main room. "Have some Halloween punch, everybody!" Miss Grimwood said.

"What's that, Winnie?" Lauren asked, pointing at a sarcophagus-shaped item that couldn't have been more than an eight inches long.

Winnie opened it up to reveal a load of spikes and she said "A surprise for my father. I made it in arts and crafts class." She placed a lemon on it and shut it tight, holding it over a cup as the juice poured in. "It's a juicer. Now you can have bitter lemonade whenever you want."

"It's wonderful, Winnie. Nice and sour."

Sibella held out a small robe to her father and said "I made this for you, daddy. It's a bat robe."

"Vonderful! Just what I need after a rainy flight. Let me try it on." Dracula turned into a bat and Sibella slid the robe on him.

"Oh, fangtastic! It fits!" Sibella sighed, relieved. "See for yourself," she said, holding up a mirror which revealed a flying robe.

"That's vonderful!" the count bat said. Dracula turned back into a human and hugged Sibella tightly. "Vat a vonderful gift!" the count said.

"All the girls have worked very hard on their presents." Miss Grimwood said.

"Don't feel left out, Matches. I made a robe for you, too." Sibella said, holding it up. "It's fireproof," she added, just as Matches breathed fire on it.

"I made my present in science class. It's a portable shock man. With a rechargeable battery pack that will last for weeks. For you, dada."

"Thank you, Elsa," Frankenstein replied, receiving his gift.

"You're welcome, dada. I thought you'd get a charge out of it." Elsa replied, beaming.

"Show your Mummy daddy what you made for him, Tanis."

Tanis held up the mummy shaped object and said "It's a bright light. To brighten the darkest mummy case."

"What a thoughtful gift, Tanis."

Lauren walked up to her father and held up a dream catcher. "For you, father, in case you ever get Nightmares. It catches the bad dreams and replaces it with good ones."

Pitch took the gift and put it in his pocket. He pulled Lauren in for a hug and said "Thank you, darling. It's absolutely perfect."

"And last, but certainly not least, your daughter would like to play her latest composition for you." Miss Grimwood said, denoting to Phantasma who began to play a spine-tingling tune on the piano. When she was finished, Phantasma stood up and took a bow, to the massive amount of applause.

The clock's chime interrupted the festivities and Dracula said "It will soon be dawn. I must be on my way, Sibella."

"I know, daddy." The girl replied.

"The moon is going down, Winnie. I'd better run, too."

"See you all next Halloween!" Lauren cried, waving cheerfully at the retreating figures.

Pitch stopped by his daughter, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and said "I love you, Lauren, and I should probably get going as well. And, just so you know, they've been added to the list."

"Thanks, father," Lauren whispered after his retreating figure.

* * *

"Say 'Happy Halloween' ghouls!" Lauren said, taking a picture of all of them.

"So what do human girls do on Halloween night?" Phantasma asked Lauren.

Lauren pondered this for a moment before saying "Well, some throw costume parties and others go trick or treating."

"What's trick or treating?" Tanis asked.

"People dress up in costumes and go around their neighborhood and getting free candy from people."

"Can we do that?" Winnie asked.

"If we had neighbors, yeah. But this school is in the middle of nowhere." Lauren pointed out when she got an idea. "But, maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to teleport you ghouls so a neighborhood and we could go trick or treating there."

"Oh, could you?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, that would be fangtastic!" Sibella agreed.

"Okay. I'll try. But before we go, we'll need, well I'll need a costume, you five are good, but we'll need bags for the candy. I've probably got something around here we can use." Looking around, Lauren found several purses and drawstring bags that they could use. She passed them out and put her own on her back before looking at the other ghouls. They really looked like monsters and wouldn't need to worry about costumes but as for herself, she looked like a human. Digging around through her stuff, Lauren found a witch hat and put it on her head before saying "Okay, ghouls. Let's go outside and see if I can teleport us. Oh, and before I forget, if anyone sees a stick, please give it to me." Confused, they followed her nonetheless.

Outside, Lauren took a deep breath before looking around. She spotted a long stick, at least ten inches long. Eyeing it, an ivy pattern design appeared on its side. "Perfect," she muttered. She placed the tip of the wand to her cheek, softly beating it against it as she looked at the ghouls, thinking. It was easy to teleport herself, but she didn't know whether she could teleport others. She would need a lot of energy to pull it off, and she'd have to do it twice within the span of just a few hours. She tucked the 'wand' in her pocket and waved her arms. "Gather round, ghouls, gather round." They formed a loose circle around her. "Join hands," she said, clasping hands herself with Sibella and Phantasma. Shutting her eyes, Lauren twisted her body, destination in mind. When she opened her eyes, she smiled. They were in a large neighborhood, surrounded by big, white houses. Suddenly, she doubled over and let go of Phantasma and Sibella's hands.

"Lauren?" shrieked Winnie.

"I'll be fine. Just- just give me a minute." Lauren gasped. After a moment, she straightened up, took out the wand, and said "C'mon. We'll have diabetes by the time tonight's over."

"Oh, I want diabetes!" Tanis squealed.

Lauren smiled at the enthusiastic girl and held out her hand for her. "Come on, Tanis, I'll let you ring the doorbell." Lauren leads her up the stairs and Tanis pressed the button.

Seconds later, a woman appeared with three squealing babies. She looked at the ghouls before dumping the entire bowl of candy into Tanis's bag. "Take it all! I'm so done with tonight!" the mom screamed before slamming the door shut.

Tanis blinked before asking "Is that what normally happens."

"Er, well, no. Normally, a person get's a handful per house. I guess it's so late they're eager to get rid of it."

"Is that good?" Tanis asked.

"It's good for us. That means we'll get the rest of the candy and there sure are a lot of houses around here."

Tanis split the candy in her bag among the other ghouls before moving on to the next house. By the end of the night, the ghouls had so much candy and other treats that they couldn't close their bags. They had pounds of candy, pencils, rings, bracelets, necklaces, little bats and spiders, fake vampire teeth that concerned Sibella greatly until Lauren explained what they were, stickers, bags of popcorn, candy apples, cookies, bags of chips and Cheetos, gum, pretzels, popcorn balls, and when houses ran out of candy to give, they gave Lauren cash, seeing as she's the oldest of the group, and told her to buy candy with it. She smiled and graciously accepted.

Once they had hit up the last house, Lauren had the ghouls circle her again and clasp hands. Shutting her eyes, she twisted, picturing the school. Opening her eyes, she saw it and smiled, unclasping hands, when she doubled up again, feeling as though someone had punched her in the gut.

"Lauren?" Sibella shrieked loudly, running towards her. Sibella kneeled on the ground and looked at her.

"I'm fine." Lauren gasped. "Teleporting takes a bit of energy out of me, is all. I've never done it with so many people before." Slowly, Lauren straightened up and said "See? I'm fine."

She shouldered her bag and was about to lead the way inside when a voice called "What are you girls doing out here?" Turning around, the ghouls saw the Cadets standing there.

Lauren walked to the front of the ghouls and told them "I don't see how that's really any of your business. And we don't associate with cheaters. C'mon girls, let's go back inside."

Lauren was about to leave when Roger asked, "What's in the bag?"

Feeling like gloating, she replied "Candy and lots of it. We just got back from TOT."

"TOT?"

"Trick or treating."

"How? You don't have a ride and there's not a town for miles around here!"

Lauren took her wand out and waved it around. "I'm a witch. I've got magic powers. It wasn't hard to get us to a town."

The Cadets stared at her as she tucked her wand back in her pocket. Lauren opened her bag and dug around in it before grabbing a goodie bag she had received at one of the houses and tossed it to the Cadets. Instinctively, Tug caught it and looked at her as she put her bag back on her back. Catching his eye, she smiled and said "Consider it a... truce. Accept our offering of delicious chocolate, because I seriously doubt the Colonel lets you so much as think the word, and in exchange, all we ask is that from now on we can get along. That means no more cheating at volleyball. We're two tiny schools. We should be getting along instead of arguing because who knows what we could accomplish if we worked together?" The Cadets just nodded.

Lauren was about to leave when Tug asked her "Hey, Lauren, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lauren eyed him before looking over at the girls and told them "Don't wait up. This won't take long." And she walked over to Tug who motioned for her to join her a couple yards away. The other Cadets moved on. Lauren crossed her arms and asked "Well?"

"I wanted to apologize for the way the volleyball game went."

"Oh really? Which part are you sorry about? The part where you lost?"

"No! I'm sorry for the way the other guys acted. Jamal, Miguel, Baxter, Grunt, and Roger were wrong to cheat on you guys. And I'm sorry."

Lauren smiled and hugged him tightly. "I know you didn't cheat. And I'm glad to see you. It's been awhile. Good to see you've kept in shape." she said lightly, punching him in the arm.

"Yeah, well, Calloway is tough. You can't be fat in there."

Lauren snorted and said, "Someone should tell Grunt that."

Tug snorted back before saying "I was wondering if, you know...?"

"What?" Lauren asked him.

"Well, when I said I loved you, I wasn't joking. I really do and I was wondering if you wanted to give us a shot?"

"You want us to date?" Lauren asked, taken aback.

"Yes." Tug replied.

"I... I don't know, Tug. I've already switched schools once because of this and I don't want to switch again."

"I understand but this time will be different. This time we'll be careful and not tell anyone. If we're the only two that know, then you won't have to move."

"Well… okay, then. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give it, us, a shot." Lauren allowed, blushing a bit. Tug smiled and pulled her in for a hug. Lauren hugged him back before saying "I should probably go or the girls will worry."

"I understand. Can I see you tomorrow?" His earnest smile made Lauren laugh.

She said "Okay. Meet me in the trees by the volleyball court at ten o'clock. I'll bring you a popcorn ball."

Tug smiled and said "Good night, Lauren."

"Good night, Tug." and with that, she walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hi, everyone! I just wanted to thank you all for reading my story so far. I hope you've enjoyed and continue to enjoy reading it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Nostalgia**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

"So what did Tug want?" Sibella asked. She had been waiting for Lauren to arrive, being concerned for her friend.

Lauren blanched before saying "Nothing, really. He just wanted to apologize for the way the Cadets cheated during the volleyball game."

"He wasn't freaking out that you told him you had powers?" Sibella asked, earnestly concerned.

Lauren smiled and sat down beside her. "Sibella, humans don't want to believe in magic. They will make up any excuse they can in order to disprove magic exists in the world. Tug and the other Cadets just thought I was being stupid."

Sibella's eyes widened then. "Really? He thought you were just joking?"

"Yep. Nothing to worry about now, right?"

"Well, if you're not worried..."

"I'm not," Lauren reassured her. Taking out a pair of fake vampire teeth, Lauren shoved them into her mouth and asked, "You wanna take a fangtastic selfie?"

Sibella giggled and said "Sure."

Lauren pulled out her phone and held it up. She smiled, revealing the fangs and Sibella unsheathed her fangs. Lauren took the picture, took her teeth out, and smiled regularly, Sibella mimicking her. Readjusting her phone and face, Lauren made a goofy face, Sibella getting the idea did the same, and the camera went off. "Once a picture is taken, you can pose for another one without waiting for me to tell you whether or not I'm taking one. If I see you posing, I'll click away." Lauren told her and Sibella nodded. They spent the next part of five minutes taking pictures before Sibella yawned, exposing her fangs. "You can go on to bed, Sibella," Lauren said. "You don't need to stay up on my account."

"No, it's all right. Besides, it's dawn anyway."

Lauren's head snapped in the direction of the window. Sure enough, the sun was filtering its way through the clouds. Suddenly, a thought struck her. "Oh, my gosh, Sibella! You're a vampire! How have you not obliterated the second you went outside during the sun?"

Sibella giggled and said "I'm immune to sunlight. All vampires are. And I can see myself in the mirror. However, I will not eat garlic, even if that won't kill me it still smells disgusting, and I'm pretty sure a stake to the heart would kill me."

"Who wouldn't that kill?" Lauren asked, popping a Hershey kiss in her mouth and offering one to Sibella, who took it and ate it. Suddenly, an idea struck Lauren. "You girls know that none of the foods are rotten, they'll rot your teeth, but they're fresh, right?"

"Of course. It's the healthy stuff that's no good if it's fresh." Sibella replied.

"You know, it's kinda weird." Lauren began, looking away from Sibella. "The way I feel about you girls, like you're my sisters, and yet I hardly know a thing about any of you." She turned to Sibella then and asked, "You know?"

Sibella pondered this and replied "Well, I don't know everything about everyone here, and I've been here the longest. It keeps a relationship of any kind interesting, not knowing everything there is to know about someone. Like, if you read a book, the author doesn't automatically tell you everything about the character. You find out along the way. Now if you're just dying to know something, ask. It's not like we'll tell you no." Sibella added the last part with a laugh. The laugh was infectious, making Lauren laugh as well.

"I do have one question for you." Lauren began.

"Go on." Sibella encouraged.

"How long have you ghouls been here?"

"Well, usually a monster is dropped off when she is very young. Tanis, she's six, she's been here for a year. Winnie, she's eight, and she's been here for three years. Elsa's ten and she's been here for five years. Phanty's eleven and she's been here for six years. And I'm thirteen and I've been here eight years."

Lauren's eyes bulged. "Nine years! That's quite a bit."

"Well, yes it is. There were others though, students, that are gone now and out into the monster world."

"You know, you guys are really spread out as far as age and experience goes so how come Miss Grimwood is the only teacher here? How do you all learn? In fact, I haven't been to a single class yet."

"She usually gives us two weeks off after Halloween before starting back up with classes and you arrived during the time designated for volleyball practice, which is three weeks, but the rest of the year, we're busy. And as for the level of difficulty with classes, Miss Grimwood is very good about having the main lesson and then giving us each an assignment that deals with the lesson and fits with our age and experience."

"I follow you." Lauren said, nodding, then asked "What about summer break? Winter break? Spring break? Do you have any of those?"

"No. What are they for?" "Well, where I went to school, Winter break was a two week period off from school for Christmas and other winter-related holidays. Spring break was a week off for the celebration of Easter. And summer break was over a two month period in which school was over to allow students a shift from one grade to another."

"Wow! You get all that time off? What'd you do during all that time?"

"Well, over the summer, my friends and I would go to the beach together, down off the west coast of Florida where the Gulf of Mexico is. We'd spend two weeks there. Apart from that, we'd go shopping at stores, volunteer at the local VA together, play tennis or volleyball, go to summer workouts for tennis and volleyball, we all had jobs at the mall that we had to do if we wanted money to shop with, you know, girl stuff. And when I wasn't with any of them, I'd read or work out or listen to music or other trivial waists of time."

"That sounds really nice!" Sibella said dreamily.

"Yeah," Lauren said nostalgically. "It was."

"Do you miss it?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you miss it? You're old school, friends, and what you used to do?"

"Yeah, I miss it and them a lot. I miss going to football games, pep rallies, dances, clubs, games and matches, and to their houses. I mean, we text, Skype, and message each other through various forms of social media, but it's just not the same as being with them. They were my sisters and I don't think I'll go a day without missing them."

"But you still like it here, right? You like it here with us?" Sibella asked her.

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I? You guys actually remind me of them, a bit."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. You all are dedicated, loyal, smart, brave, kind, generous, caring, hilarious, true friends that took me in like I was part of the gang from the beginning. You have a lot of the same characteristics as them. You may prefer different pizza toppings and live completely different lifestyles but it didn't feel awkward hanging out with you guys after being around hundreds of humans for a long time. So thanks. And know that I love you guys a lot. You're my sisters now." Lauren threw her arms around Sibella and embraced her tightly.

Sibella was taken aback for a second but embraced the other girl back warmly. "You're probably used to my bat puns now but I want you to know you're a fangtastic friend, Lauren. Without you, we wouldn't have won that volleyball trophy. Without you, we wouldn't feel like we're good at anything. Before you came along, the five of us hardly ever got along on anything. We never spent time together and never did anything fun. You brought us together and made us feel like family. If anybody needs to be thanked, it's you. So thank you for giving me a family away from home and being my sister." Sibella replied.

The girls broke the embrace and grinned at each other. Lauren pulled her phone out from her pocket and asked "Do you wanna take one more selfie? This time as sisters?" Sibella scooted closer as Lauren held the phone up and snapped the photo with the #sisters. Lauren looked over to show Sibella and smiled. The girl was asleep, her head resting on Lauren's shoulder. Lauren set her phone aside and gently laid Sibella down. Placing her head on a pillow, Lauren took the blankets and covered Sibella up before brushing loose hairs off the girl's forehead.

Satisfied with her work, Lauren changed clothes, tucked her phone in her pocket, put some candy and other foods from last night in a bag, shut the blinds, and left, closing the door behind her. Checking the time, she saw that she and Sibella had been talking for hours and that it was nearly nine thirty. "I hope they let that poor girl sleep," Lauren muttered.

She felt bad for keeping Sibella up all night with her questions but once she had begun talking, curiosity took over and she couldn't stop. It was so interesting to her. Lauren could have grown up with exactly like Sibella, without a clue of the wonders of the human world, if her mother's dying wish hadn't been for Lauren to go to a human school when she was older. She would have gone to Miss Grimwood's Finishing Academy for Ghouls starting at around age five and would have learned lessons that were completely different from the ones she had learned growing up, with just a handful of other girls. Shaking her head, Lauren stepped outside and made for the volleyball court. She walked over to a tree, slid her bag onto the ground, and leaned against the tree, stuffing her hands inside her pockets.

A few minutes later, Tug appeared, running towards the trees. He looked around before finally spotting her and blanched. Suddenly he felt very nervous, looking at her. Months of living with five other guys had made him forget how beautiful she was. Especially in a cream-colored sweater, light blue jeans, and mint colored Vans. As he ran towards her, Lauren's head whipped in his direction.

When she saw him, she smiled and waved him over. Once Tug was in front of her, she reached forward and hugged him. Tug was taken aback, feeling Lauren against him, her head resting on his shoulder, her arms enveloping him. After a beat, he hugged her back, smiling. Once the embrace was over, the two sat on the ground and Laurens' hand delved into her bag. She pulled out a popcorn ball and tossed it to him. Tug unwrapped it, tore off a piece, and ate it as Lauren broke a pretzel in half and ate it.

After a minute of silence and chewing, Lauren swallowed and asked him "So what have you been up to today, Cadet?"

"Well, the Colonel wasn't very happy with you girls beating us at volleyball, or being called out for cheating, either. So he's had us up since four this morning, training for next year. He says lessons won't start for another month, to give us time to work on our game."

"Four in the morning? That's absolutely ridiculous! We only won by two points! It was as close as possible and he's upset?"

"Well, it wouldn't have been that close if we hadn't cheated."

"Grunt didn't score a single point with the jetpack on, though," Lauren explained.

"Er, well, earlier in the game Miguel put a small chip in the ball so he could remotely control it to mess up you girls serves and hits. It lasted until it got knocked into the water."

"You guys score a dozen points before the first ball got knocked into the water! We could have won much faster if you hadn't done that! I hope the Colonel pushes those guys until they can't take another step. Unbelievable!"

"I know! I'm sorry! But please keep your voice down! I was only able to come because I told the guys I forgot my water in the kitchen. We were on a run, you see. I told them to go on but if they are nearby and hear us, I'm going to be in so much trouble with the Colonel."

"Tug, you are so very lucky I don't want to see my boyfriend get clobbered." Lauren whispered, throwing a pretzel into her mouth. Tug rolled his eyes and smiled at her, running a hand through his scraggly blonde hair. "They Colonel's the epitome of stupidity." Lauren began after a moment. "Making you six train your butts off when the game isn't until next year."

"You're telling me." Tug muttered, finishing off the popcorn ball.

Lauren kicked the bag at him and said "Help yourself. We hit the jackpot last night. Every house we visited gave us the rest of their candy because they were going to call it in. Some people didn't have candy so they gave us cash instead. I think we got around fifteen dollars."

"Whoa." Tug replied, breaking into a chocolate bar.

"I know! It was great. How was your Halloween?"

"Well, I got you as a girlfriend so it was really good. By the way, the guys really appreciated the chocolate and we promise, no more cheating. We'll win next year based on of pure talent, alone."

Lauren sniggered at him and said "Pure talent for losing, maybe. You're talking to the girl who made the varsity volleyball team in her freshmen year of high school, remember?"

"I know, I know." Tug said, shoving her.

"And maybe you guys want different uniforms for next year? Your shorts looked tighter than mine."

Tug face palmed himself and groaned. "I know. The Colonel chooses them every year. Your uniforms looked cool, though. Where'd you get them?"

"I made them for the girls. They didn't have uniforms and I wasn't having them play in dresses."

"That was thoughtful of you. I remember you started a sewing club at school before you left."

"Yeah, well, I was in a lot of clubs and sports."

"Yeah, you were. Tennis, volleyball, basketball, and track. And you were in the sewing club, Key Club, FCA, book club, student council, mathletes, journalism, and the ping pong and badminton clubs."

"A girl's gotta have her hobbies."

"But you were taking honors classes!"

"I have excellent time management skills. You know, Tug, I was thinking. I was thinking of starting up some clubs at Grimwood but there aren't but five other girls who go there.

It would be awesome if you Cadets considered joining with us girls. And maybe we could do some other sporting events apart from just volleyball."

"I know I'd be interested in doing activities with you guys but the other Cadets... And just think what the Colonel would say if I asked him."

"He's just pissed because he lost. He'll get over it eventually."

"I don't know." Tug began, rubbing his arm. "This is the first time Calloway lost a volleyball match against Grimwood since the tradition began."

"You mean to tell me that Grimwood never won? Not ever?"

"No, because normally Calloway's team cheats and the Grimwood girls never practice the game so they're always rusty."

"I guess it's good I'm here then. I'm just glad I could help them win. You gotta admire them, though. Playing year after year, knowing full well they'll probably lose. Now I'm settled. I'm going to talk to Miss Grimwood about seeing whether or not I can start new clubs or sports for the girls and you Cadets. It'll be fun!" Lauren exclaimed.

Tug crossed his arms and said, "For you, maybe."

"Aw, you just don't want to spend time with me, do you?" Lauren asked, teasingly.

Tug uncrossed his arms and cried "No! That's not it! Definitely not! It's just the Colonel won't let us."

"He doesn't _let_ you do anything. You decide for yourself."

Tug nodded, licking the chocolate off his fingers. Suddenly, a voice filled the air. "Tug? TUG? Where are you?"

Tug's face paled and he said "That'll be the guys. I gotta go. Give me a kiss goodbye?" Lauren leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. She helped Tug up, stuffed his pockets with candy, and sent him running. He waved before dashing off into the bush and jumping the wall that separated the two school's property. Lauren smiled, snatched her bag off the ground, and walked back to the school, smiling happily.

* * *

Lauren gently pushed open the door to her room, just on the off chance that Sibella was still asleep in there. Peering inside the darkened room, Lauren saw that Sibella was indeed still asleep. Checking the time, Lauren saw that she had only talked to Tug for half an hour and knew Sibella was going to be asleep for a while. Lauren really didn't mind. She liked the dark and silence so putting her phone away, she pulled out a book from her suitcase and began to read. The book was called 'The Selection' and it was a present Tara had given her before she left and became one of her favorite book series.

She had just gotten to the third chapter when a moan filled the air. Looking up from her book, Lauren saw Sibella stir. Sibella sat up and threw her arms up in the air, stretching. This was followed by a yawn so huge it revealed her fangs, which shone even in the poor light from the few fragments of sun that managed to sneak past the blinds and pale curtains. Lauren shut the book as Sibella took in her surroundings. "I would say good morning, except it's well past two in the afternoon."

Sibella placed her forehead in her hand and blinked before saying "How long have I been asleep?"

"I'd say five hours, more or less," Lauren replied, ticking the time off on her fingers just to make sure. "Yeah, definitely five hours."

"And what time is it?" Sibella asked, her brain still waking up.

"A hair past two in the afternoon."

"Sorry about that. How long have I been in your room?"

"You fell asleep while we were talking, not that I blame you because you had just played a fangtastic game of volleyball and had a long night of Trick or Treating. Then I selfishly kept you awake by asking you every question I could think of and after several hours of talking, you kind of just went unconscious so I tucked you in and got to read. Don't be sorry about that. I've been meaning to finish this series anyway." Lauren finished, holding up the book that she had forgotten to set down, and placed it on the dresser. "If you're still tired, by all means, go back to sleep. It doesn't matter to me either way. I have to go find Miss Grimwood anyway so I guess I'll see you later, then." Lauren left before Sibella could reply and went to find Miss Grimwood.

Lauren found the woman in the kitchen, stirring a bowl. "Do you need any help with that, Miss Grimwood?" she asked.

"Ah, Lauren. No, I'm afraid I just finished. However, you can lick the bowl."

"Gee, thanks, Miss Grimwood! What is it, anyway?"

"My famous swamp brownies! Made with swamp water, mosquitoes, and algae."

Lauren ran a finger around the bowl, scooping up a healthy portion of the batter and stuck it in her mouth. "It's delicious!"

"Well, thank you, Lauren. Matches, could you please heat them up?" Matches nodded and blew fire at the pan of brownies, cooking them instantly. The rotten aroma filled the air and Lauren inhaled deeply.

Sighing with content, Lauren leisurely cleaned out the bowl with her fingers. Holding the bowl in the crook of her elbow, she turned to Miss Grimwood and asked "Miss Grimwood, I was wondering if I could ask you something?"

"Ask away, dearie."

"Well, at my old school, there were lots of clubs and a large variety of sports for the students to participate in and I was only wondering if I could start some of those things up here at your school? The Calloway Cadets would be welcome to join as well if they wanted."

"Oh! What a wonderful idea! What other sports and clubs were you thinking of?"

"Well, I was thinking for sports we could have tennis because as long as you have two people, you can play. I was also thinking soccer because as long as there are four people, the game can be played. And perhaps we could have track meets because again, only two people are needed at least. And since we have a volleyball court, we could use that for badminton as well and just two players are needed. And if we were to attach a small net to a table, we could have ping pong, which would only require two people to play."

"Oh, that does sound fun! What were some of the clubs you participated in at your old school?"

"Well, there's book club, a club where we discuss books, world languages club where we learn different languages around the world and discuss culture, and mathletes where'd we learn advanced math. Based on the size and location of this school, those are the only clubs we could have."

"Well, in the way of a budget, we don't really have one to put new clubs and sports in place but if you can start them and the girls like them, be my guest. Though I've no way to fund them so that will be up to you."

Lauren's face broke into a grin and she replied "Thank you, Miss Grimwood. I'm sure the other ghouls will love it! Ah, you're the best!" and Lauren sat the bowl down, licked her fingers clean, and ran back up to her room. She burst open the door to her room, thinking Sibella would be in there, but she wasn't. Lauren glanced around but all she saw that had been changed was that the bed had been made up. Sibella must have left. Lauren's face fell just a second, but then shrugged and walked into her room. She didn't want to mess up the bed Sibella had gone to lengths to make up so instead, Lauren sat down in a chair. Pondering what to do, she checked the time. It was nearly three o'clock so her friends should still be up. She looked through the messages on her phone and searched for one of their group messages before asking them what clubs and sports she should take up at the school out of a list of the cheapest ones she could think of, ie; tennis, soccer, track, badminton, ping pong, book club, world languages club, and mathletes.

Once they had all texted her back, she took a collective poll of the ones they had suggested on and decided on doing tennis, soccer, track, and ping pong only since the sports were definitely something she could get the Colonel to agree to. Clubs might have been deemed too girly or a waste of time in his eyes. She spent the rest of the day writing out plans and mini-lessons for the clubs and letting the ghouls decide what it was they wanted to do.

* * *

 **AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! I'll post Chapter 5 soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: A Jog Through the Bog**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

"Your Venus Spy-traps are working brilliantly, Creeper." said a woman reminiscent of a spider with milky, translucent skin, brittle green hair, and red eyes.

"Thank you, Revolta." replied a blob-like creature with a massive eye positioned in the center of his inflated head.

"Yes, I know exactly who to use for my plan. The blonde one, the boogeyman's daughter."

"Oh, excellent choice, Revolta."

"Yes. Those other ghouls do everything she tells them to. They would jump off a bridge if she told them to. They trust her and listen to her every word. Yes. Spiderbat!" Revolta snapped, grabbing it by the wings. "It's time you earned your keep. Fly, Spiderbat, fly!" and Revolta threw it out the window and into the chilly, night air.

* * *

It was nearly ten o'clock when Lauren finally collapsed from exhaustion seeing as she hadn't slept for nearly forty-eight hours. She was sleeping peacefully, in a deep sleep, when something gently pushed open her window and snaked in. It fluttered around, looking for something and spotted it. Flying on Lauren's head, it left a trail of red dust around her ears that whispered into them "You will do exactly as I say. In the morning, you will lead the girls on a little field trip to the Barren Bog. And then you girl ghouls will be mine! Hehehe!" Lauren rolled over in her sleep, nearly crushing the Spiderbat as she did so, but it flew away and left as the ghoul shuddered and mumbled before being still and drifting back into unconsciousness.

Lauren woke up and stretched hugely. Looking around, she saw that she had fallen asleep in the armchair instead of in her bed and her phone was at eighteen percent battery. She put it in its case to charge and then threw open the window. "What a beautiful day!" she exclaimed, looking out at the overcast weather, as a harsh wind blew in through the window and knocked her down. "It's perfectly dreadful! What a great day for a little run!" Lauren stripped off her sweater and jeans and replaced it with a running tank that read 'I run better than the government' and a pair of blue running shorts. She tied the laces on her tennis shoes before walking out the door.

"Oh, what a windy, wet, dank, dreadful, wintery day. A perfectly rotten day to be outside. So have fun, girls!" Miss Grimwood called out to them as Lauren took them towards Barren Bog.

"We will Miss Grimwood!" Winnie howled.

"We're all ready to go!" Lauren exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Bye Miss Grimwood!" Elsa hollered.

"Bye Matches!" Tanis added at the scowling dragon.

"Oh, let him come with us!" Lauren said. At that Matches perked up and jumped into her arms.

"See you later, girls!"

"So, Lauren, where are we going?" Elsa asked as they got ready to teleport.

"A really scenic place. Barren Bog!"

"Sounds fangtastic! I bet it's crawling with alligators and snakes." Sibella exclaimed with a laugh of delight.

"Not to mention quicksand! I love quicksand!" Phantasma giggled.

"Okay, ghouls, clasp hands and let's go!" Lauren ordered, grabbing on to Sibella and Tanis. She shut her eyes, twisted, opened them, and saw they were at the entrance of the bog.

"What do we do now, Lauren?" Tanis asked her.

"How about a jog through the bog?" Lauren suggested eagerly to the other ghouls.

"Great! I got plenty of energy!" Elsa said, taking off.

"Wait for me, Elsa!" Tanis cried, running after her.

"Awhoooo! Race you across the bog, Sibella!" Winnie howled, already running.

Sibella smiled and replied "Then I think I'll stretch my wings instead of my legs." and she flew off as fast as possible, easily outstripping Winnie.

"Aw, no fair, Sibella! We're supposed to be jogging, not f-hey!" Winnie said, getting tripped on a vine.

"Gotcha!" said a voice as the vine wrapped around Winnie's leg. It was the Grim Creeper.

"Boy have you got the wrong girl!" Winnie snarled, clawing at the tentacle.

"You can't escape the Grim Creeper!" it said, lunging at her.

"Then I guess you've never chased a werewolf before, creepy!" and Winnie was off with a flash, Sibella far ahead of her. She ran upon an empty shack and hid inside it. "This looks like a great hiding place," she said as she went indoors. She watched as the Grim Creeper crept on past. "I gave him the slip!" she said, turning around, only to see the same Spiderbat that had attacked Lauren the night before, inches from her face.

They attacked her and a voice whispered in her ear "You will now only obey Revolta." After a moment Winnie quit struggling and simply stood there, her eyes glowing red.

"One down, five to go." The Grim Creeper said with a laugh.

* * *

"Lauren!" a voice called from above her. Turning, she saw Sibella flying at her. Lauren skidded to a stop, having set out alone, and waved in acknowledgment. Sibella transformed back into her human form and said "Winnie must be playing hide and shriek! I can't find her anywhere!"

"Don't worry. I'll help you look for her." Lauren replied reassuringly. "I'll search by land." Lauren began and Sibella added, "And I'll search by air." She lifted her hair up and in a flash, transformed back into a bat.

* * *

Elsa and Tanis were walking by when a cry was heard. "Help! Help!"

"Sounds like those smart elect Calloway Cadets," Elsa said to Tanis.

"Maybe they're playing in the bog, too," Tanis added, pointing at them.

When the Cadets saw Elsa and Tanis, they begged "Quick! Help us out!"

"But why? Swimming in quicksand is fun!" Tanis argued.

"Fun? That's a negative." Jamal said.

"On the double!" Miguel added.

"If not sooner." Grunt put in.

"Well, Tanis, if they insist." Replied Elsa, holding out a fallen log that was the size of a tree towards the Cadets who grabbed on tightly. Once they were all on, Elsa yanked upward and the Cadets all came loose and were on dry land again.

"Thanks for getting us out, girls," Miguel said.

"Affirmative," Jamal added.

* * *

"Bogs never bother me! Of course, my phantom feet never get wet!" shrieked Phantasma as she ran by.

"Oh, Phanty!" Winnie called from the doorway of the shack.

"Whatcha doin' in there, Winnie?" Phantasma asked her.

"Hiding. Come see."

"Oh, I just love hide and shriek!" Phantasma exclaimed, running inside with Winnie only to be attacked by the spider-bats that had gotten Winnie, putting the same spell on her.

* * *

Lauren was running through the thicket, searching for Winnie, when Sibella swooped down upon her. "Sibella? Have you found Winnie?" Sibella nodded and flew off, Lauren running after her. Sibella and Lauren found Winnie and Phantasma but stopped several yards away. Something was off. Both of their eyes were glowing red. Winnie held out a paw and said "Yes, Sibella, we're here. Come down."

"We want to show you both something." Phantasma added. Sibella and Lauren went over to them and were right in front of Winnie and Phantasma when Winnie turned toward the shack and yelled, "Get her!" Sibella and Lauren backed away as two spider-bats emerged. Sibella flew off and Lauren turned tail and ran, pumping her legs to go as fast as possible.

"Don't let them escape!" the Grim Creeper shouted.

Sibella disappeared into a cloud and hid from the bats while Lauren ran as fast as possible, but to no avail. The bat was getting closer and closer when all of a sudden Matches appears in front of her and sets the bat on fire. It squeals and flies away, diving into a small pond. Lauren looked over at Matches and said "Thanks. Now c'mon, we gotta go help the others!" and they two of them took off.

* * *

Tanis and Elsa were walking when they saw Winnie and Phantasma so the two walked over to them. "Well, it's about time," Tanis said.

"Where have you Grimwood Girls been?" Elsa asked.

"Waiting for you." Phantasma replied.

"Come inside." Winnie offered.

Sibella, seeing this, flew out of the cloud and towards the cluster of her friends, Lauren, and Matches behind her. "It's Sibella and Lauren!" Elsa said.

"Something's wrong," Tanis added when Winnie grabbed her and Phantasma grabbed Elsa and dragged them inside.

"But it's too late for you!" Winnie replied as she slammed the door shut. Revolta magicked the shack to fly and programmed it to fly towards her evil lair. Sibella, being able to fly, followed, but was pursued by the Spiderbats, who had to latch onto her wings in order to force her under mind control.

* * *

Lauren looked up to see the flying shack, closely followed by Sibella who was being carried off by two bats and she blanched. She quickly searched her pockets, looking for anything that could help, when she came across a small, black flute. She remembered her father giving it to her. Anytime she needed to use Onyx, his best Nightmare, she need just blow into it and he would appear.

Pressing the flute to her lips, Lauren blew into it and then tucked it in her pocket. Seconds later, Onyx appeared, having popped out of the ground before her. Lauren jumped on his back and held her arms out of Matches to jump into which he did. Once the two of them were secure, Lauren leaned against the Nightmare and said, "Follow that shack!" The Nightmare snorted viciously before taking seven steps and jumping into the air, flying after the flying shack.

After a couple of minutes, Lauren arrived at a giant castle. An opening appeared on the wall in which the shack and bats flew through. "Come on, Onyx." Lauren encouraged, petting his mane. The Nightmare neighed softly before flying higher until he was level with the opening and quickly went through it. They landed on the floor of the room and Lauren slid off of the Nightmare's back and set Matches on the ground beside her.

* * *

Revolta had Sibella, Phantasma, Winnie, Tanis, and Elsa lined up in front of her and was laughing evilly. "It's been way too long since we've had company, Creeper."

"I knew you'd be please, Revolta."

"Yes because these girls will remain here permanently!" and she laughed again.

"But Revolta, what happens when your spell wears off?"

"Do not upset yourself, Creeper. I'm preparing a spell to make them evil forever. At the stroke of midnight, I'm going to Revoltize them!"

"Revoltize them? Oh, how revolting!"

"Yes, isn't it, though? Now put those six to work."

The Creeper froze and replied "Six? There are only five."

"No, no, Creeper! There are six. The werewolf's daughter, the phantom's daughter, Frankenstein's daughter, the mummy's daughter, Dracula's daughter, and the boogeyman's- wait, where's the boogeyman's daughter? The blonde one? Didn't I tell you to make sure you get her as well?"

"Yes, but she escaped the spider-bats!"

"Escaped? Escaped how?" Revolta asked, her voice hardening.

"She ran away." The Grim Creeper shuddered as replied as Revolta's piercing gaze hit him.

"She ran away? She ran faster than the spider-bats can fly? Even Dracula's daughter couldn't out fly them! How is it she was able to do that? Never mind that, where is she?"

"Well, after she ran away, she summoned one of her father's nightmares and-"

"You let her summon one of her father's nightmares? Are you crazy? Do you know what could happen if she had one of those?" Suddenly, Revolta smiled. "Nevermind. I bet she followed you. And if she did then she'll be here any second now to rescue her friends. Now stop cringing and get the five that are here to work, Creeper!"

"Yes, Revolta." the Creeper replied.

* * *

Lauren, Matches, and Onyx crept through the hallway when they came across a dead end. Lauren tried the door but it was locked. "Ugh! Seriously? I really don't have time for this." and she spun around and kicked the door down. She walked through it, Matches and Onyx close behind her. Once through the door, they saw two hallways that lead in different directions. "I suppose we'll have to split up. You two go one way and I'll go the other. If I need you, I'll summon you with the whistle." Lauren said before taking the right fork, Onyx and Matches taking the left.

The Creeper was watching over Tanis who was mopping the floor. "That's it. Revolta likes a clean lair. Wait, you missed a spot."

Tanis picked up the mop and bucket, saying "I obey only Revolta." and she walked away, hitting the Creeper in the eye with the mop.

"Oh, nevermind. It'll soon be midnight, anyway."

Lauren was wondering around the hallway when she ran into Elsa who was cleaning a mirror. "Elsa!" Lauren whispered, running at her. "I'm here to-what are you doing?"

"Cleaning."

"Why? Nevermind, listen. We need to get out of here. I came here to rescue you girls so C'mon! You can help me find the others."

"I obey only Revolta," Elsa said, continuing to clean the mirror.

"Revolta? Who is she?" Lauren asked, scratching her head.

"She's the wicked witch of the web. At midnight, she's going to Revoltize us and turn us evil forever!" and with that, Elsa walked away.

"Evil forever?!" Lauren scream whispered. "Oh, she's probably got them under some kind of mind control. Hey, Elsa-" Lauren looked up to see that Elsa had vanished. "I should really learn to rant while a walk," Lauren muttered under her breath as she began to jog down the hallway, keeping to the shadows as she did so.

Lauren eventually ran into Tanis who was mopping. "Tanis! Oh, thank goodness! C'mon, we have to get out of here!"

"I obey only Revolta," Tanis said, showering Lauren in water.

"Not you, too!" Lauren cried when she got an idea. She reached into Tanis's pocket and took out a spare roll of wrapping tape she knew the ghoul carried for emergencies. First, she wadded up two little pieces and stuck them in her ears just in case something tried to get her under mind control. Then she thoroughly wrapped herself up in gauze until only her eyes and mouth were uncovered. She looked over at Tanis one last time, shook her head, and jogged off. She rounded the corner when she heard someone approaching. Lauren backed into the wall and accidentally hit a torch stand that bent forward and opened a small doorway that Lauren ducked through just as the wall swung back into its original position.

Looking around, she saw that she was now face to face with Revolta and the Creeper. "Well, did you finish mopping the corridors?" Revolta asked.

Lauren blinked, looked at the extra mop she had taken from Tanis, then said, "Oh, yes, Revolta."

"Good, then you can start over here." the Creeper commanded.

"I obey only Revolta." Lauren instantly snapped.

"Just do it." Revolta sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Lauren walked over and began to mop as the Creeper scratched his head. "There's something funny about that mummy. She looks as though she's gotten taller."

"Good. Then she can do more difficult work." Revolta said indifferently, going back to her potion. "Now help me with my potion, Creeper."

Revolta mentioned an ingredient and the Creeper accidentally grabbed Lauren's wrappings and pulled. She quickly became unwound and fell to the ground, dizzy. "I knew she wasn't a mummy!" the Creeper exclaimed.

"It's the boogeyman's daughter!" Revolta screamed in delight. "Hold her still!"

The Creeper entangled her in his tentacles and Revolta wove the magic headphones around Lauren's head but they were to no avail. She had taped up her ears. "Why isn't it working?" screamed Revolta in frustration.

Lauren smirked slightly before replying, "Oh, you can't put me under any sort of mind control. My mind is shielded from such things when I'm awake. I'm really of no actual use to you."

"Well, when put that way... Creeper! Dispose of her and anyone else who came with her."

"Yes, Revolta." The Creeper said gleefully, leading Lauren outside of the potion's room.

Once down the hall, Lauren slipped the whistle out of her pocket and blew. Onyx and Matches immediately appeared before her. Lauren denoted to the Creeper and said "Attack." Without a second's hesitation, Onyx reared up and kicked the Creeper in the head, knocking him out. "Good boy!" Lauren cooed, jumping on his back, Matches in her arms. "Away!" Lauren commanded and Onyx ran off.

After a while, Lauren spotted Sibella and Winnie dusting. "Winnie! Sibella! It's me! Lauren! We gotta get out of here before midnight!"

"We obey only Revolta." the two said simultaneously before going back to dusting.

Suddenly, Lauren heard Matches roar. Turning around, she saw him being dragged off. Lauren spared Sibella and Winnie one last glance before hopping on Onyx and shouting "After that Creeper!"

The two galloped off after Matches and came to a dead end It was a circular room. Looking up, they saw Matches being dangled by the tail. "So glad you came to help your pet!"

"Put Matches down right now you creep!" Lauren demanded. The floor opened up and Lauren and Onyx fell down. The Creeper dropped Matches and he fell down with them. The three landed with a splash in a large well. "Nice try but we know how to swim." Lauren sneered up at him.

"So does the giant well dweller." The Creeper replied.

Lauren gulped and looked around as a giant, purple, three-eyed monster shot out of the water. "Wait a minute, we can fly. Onyx, Matches, hurry!" Matches leaped into Lauren's arms and Lauren clambered onto Onyx's back and he shot out of the well, right as the monster lunged at them.

"Did you take care of that girl and her friends?" Revolta asked.

"Yes. The well dweller will make quick work of them." The Creeper replied with a bow.

"Good. Now call for the girls. My potion is ready and it will soon be midnight." Once the girls were seated, Revolta said "Prepare the girls, Creeper. The Potion will soon be ready."

"Yes, Revolta," he replied, strapping helmets onto their heads.

"When the clock strikes midnight, those girls will be Revoltized!"

Suddenly, Onyx landed on the ground and gave the Creeper a good kick in the gut, which sent him flying. Lauren slid off the Nightmare and put Matches down. "Stop Revolta! I won't allow you to do this! Let my friends go and you can have me instead."

"Five monsters for one? I don't think so. Even if you are the most powerful of the six of you. I think I'll just take you by force." she made a grab but Lauren danced out of the way.

"It's going to take a bit more than that to take me willingly. I'm in much better shape. You're looking at the fastest runner in the great state of North Carolina." Revolta made another grab but missed yet again. "Listen. You let them go and I'll do your bidding willingly. You let them go, I'll help you in ways you couldn't dream of achieving with all of them combined because you're right. I am the most powerful ghoul of them all. I have powers you can't even fathom."

Revolta thought this over for a moment before saying "Alright. You sit down and I'll let them go." Lauren walked over and sat down. Suddenly, restraints bound her wrists and ankles and a helmet was lowered over her head as well. She was pushed over in between Sibella and Tanis just when the clock struck midnight. "The time has come," Revolta said, putting the last ingredient into the potion before feeding it to the ghouls.

"Onyx, get out of here!" Lauren commanded as the Nightmare disappeared into the shadows. "Matches, do something!" she cried just as the potion hit her.

"The transformation has begun, as anyone can plainly see. They're turning evil, just like me! Yes, no more nice girls! Just think, Creeper, I'll have an evil swat team to do my evil bidding!"

"The world will be in the palm of your hands, Revolta."

Lauren fought against the restraints and finally managed to get a hand loose. She grabbed the cord connected to her helmet and ripped it off.

"No! Creeper, stop her!" But it was too late. Lauren had yanked the helmets off of Winnie and Tanis as well and broke them over her knee and tied them in a knot to keep the potion from getting anywhere.

"I thought I told you to restrain her!" Revolta cried, pointing at Lauren.

"I won't fail this time." the Grim Creeper said, making grabs at Lauren who was flipping and ducking and dancing out of his way.

The two ghouls shook their heads and Tanis asked, "Winnie, where are we?"

"I don't know but look! Lauren's in trouble!" Winnie cried. Winnie and Tanis began attacking the Creeper with Lauren.

"Revolta! Could you give me a hand? Or two? Or three?"

"Don't worry, Creeper! My Spiderbats will soon get those girls back under control."

Suddenly a voice from overhead called out. "Don't worry, girls! We'll rescue you!" and a ladder was slipped down through an opening. Lauren looked up to see Tug and the other Cadets on a flying contraption, Tug holding onto the ladder. The bats approached when water balloons fell from the sky and took them out. "Direct hit!"

"Affirmative!"

"You're gonna rescue us?" Winnie quipped.

"That's a laugh!" Tanis agreed, both her and Winnie distracted for a moment and let go of the Creeper. The force was of that of a released rubber band and both Lauren and the Creeper sprang backward, falling on top of each other. The Creeper crashed into the wall and was knocked unconscious. Lauren, however, grabbed at the tiles with her fingernails before she could crash into the wall. It worked and she was stopped inches from the hard bricks. Suddenly, the Creeper leaped up and snagged Lauren from the ground. She was bleeding, had torn a muscle, and was taken by surprise as several tentacles snaked around her and Matches. Tanis and Winnie quickly removed the helmets from the other ghouls. Sibella's was the hardest to remove and Tanis had to put all of her might into it before the helmet finally sprang loose. "Gee, you've been under the hair dryer so long you were getting cranky," Revolta screamed in frustration.

"Get back under there or else!"

"You can't tell Elsa Frankenteen what to do." Elsa snapped, crossing her arms.

"Then watch what I can do to your friends!" and without further ado, Revolta pointed her wand at Lauren and without preamble, turned her into a frog. She fell to the ground with a splat. Frog Lauren leaped up and began making rude and obscene gestures at Revolta in frog language. Ignoring this, Revolta said, "I'll do worse than that to her if you girls don't get back under there!"

"You win, Revolta." Sibella sighed when suddenly Frog Lauren jumped up onto the mantel and began knocking random ingredients into the potion, causing it to go from green to magenta. Matches breathed fire on all the potion piping and it melted, freeing the girls.

Smiling at a job done well, Lauren hopped down from the mantel and towards the ghouls as Tanis took a bit of her wrapping, knotted it into a lasso, and said, "I want that wand, Revolta!" She snatched it from her and held it high in triumph.

"Creeper, stop her!"

"Yes, Revolta!" he said when suddenly Matches was in front of him. "I mean, no, Revolta!" he screamed as Matches lit him up.

Tanis pointed the wand at Frog Lauren and said "I want our Lauren back!" and without further ado, Frog Lauren grew upward and into the human-shaped Lauren.

Looking at her hands just to make sure she was truly back to normal, Lauren rubbed Tanis on the head and said "Thanks, Tanis."

"I'll take that, Tanis." Elsa grabbed the wand just as Revolta cried out "My wand! Bring it here! Obey me!"

"I'm putting it where it belongs. In the fire!" Elsa replied, tossing it into the potion.

"My wand!" Revolta shouted in anger. Suddenly, the cauldron blew up. "You fool! Its magic is over energizing the potion! It'll explode!"

Winnie yanked on Sibella's wrist and howled "Explode? We're gonna be gone with the Wand!"

"I'll fly us out but I can take one at a time," Sibella replied.

"I think we're out of time!" Phantasma wailed.

"Not today we're not. I can teleport us out of here!" Lauren replied, looking at the boiling mass of the cauldron when a ladder was lowered in front of her. "This works too."

"Calloway will save the day." Tug shouted down at them. "Hop aboard." Lauren threw Tanis and Winnie up onto the ladder so they wouldn't have to climb. They were followed by Phantasma, Elsa, and Sibella. After making sure everyone was on there, Lauren scooped up Matches and began to climb with just her right hand until she was on.

"Roger," Jamal said when all the ghouls were secure.

As they flew away, Revolta shouted "You haven't seen the last of Revolta! I still have my broomsticks!" but she and the Creeper weren't able to outfly the explosion and were blown up with the rest of the castle.

"Hang on, girls! We'll have you back to school in no time!" Tug shouted, tying the ladder securely to the railing of the flying machine before helping out with the pedaling.

"Back to school? How about dropping us back in the bog?" Elsa suggested.

"Yeah, we never got to take a dip in the quicksand," Tanis complained.

"I'll never understand girls," Roger said as he pedaled.

"Especially Grimwood girls," Baxter added.

* * *

The Cadets let the Grimwood girls down before flying back to their school. Once landed, all of the ghouls but Lauren headed back up into the school. Sibella turned around and asked "Lauren, aren't you coming?"

"No, you girls can go on ahead. I think I'll just chill out here for a minute."

Undeterred, Sibella asked her "What's wrong?"

Lauren suddenly burst into tears. "It's all my fault we got stuck in that mess! If I hadn't suggested going on that trip to the Barren Bog, we would never have nearly gotten Revoltized!"

"But you saved us. You ruined her plan!"

"Yes, but what if I hadn't? Then you five would still be back there, getting turned evil, and it would have been all my fault!"

"But you didn't know that Revolta would have tried to capture us if we went there! You did everything you could to save us! You nearly died and were turned into a frog in the process! Even if it was your fault, you've more than made up for it."

Lauren sniffled before asking "So you're not mad at me?"

"Mad? No, we're not mad! Didn't you hear a word we just said? Come on inside with us."

"Okay," Lauren said, wiping her eyes dry, a smile blossoming on her lips.

The two wrapped their arms around each other before walking back inside their school.

* * *

 **AN: I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 5! Chapter 6 will be posted soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Dirty Rat**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lights and music streamed out of Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Ghouls as the party inside commenced. Matches was carrying around a boombox as the ghouls danced with their fathers. The Colonel and Miss Grimwood were dancing together and the Cadets were dancing in a big group. "Your boys were very gallant to go after my girls." Miss Grimwood said to the Colonel. He smirked and was about to reply when the disembodied hand tapped him on the shoulder and began to dance with Miss Grimwood instead.

"Great party, Miss Grimwood." Lauren complimented as she and Tug grooved together.

"Oh, yes, I think so as well." Miss Grimwood commented as she twirled around.

Lauren and Tug watched as she twirled around and away, leaving the two of them alone. The two faced each other, dancing to the hip-hop music that was coming from the radio. "Thanks for saving us back there," Lauren said, blushing a bit.

"Of course. When we saw you Grimwood girls getting carried off, we knew something was wrong so we made that flying contraption you saw, grabbed a map, a ladder, and a telescope, and took off to find you guys. You can't think I would just let my girlfriend be Revoltized or whatever she was going to do to you all, can you?"

"Gee, aren't you romantic? Really have a way with words, Tug." Lauren replied, smiling at him.

Tug laughed lightly before saying "Nothing is too good for my girl." Tug said before pulling her in for a light kiss. Their lips met and in the instant they did, Tug wrapped his arms around Lauren's waist and Lauren lightly wrapped her arms around Tug's neck, pulling each other closer to the other. His freshly pressed Calloway suit gently pressed up against her skinny jeans, lacy white sweater, and heliotrope sandals. "You know, Lauren, when I said I loved you I wasn't joking." Tug said when they broke the kiss.

Lauren looked at him, her hands wound in his hair, before replying "Well, I think I love you back, and I'm not joking either."

Tug taken aback in the best possible way, asked "Really?"

"Really. I'm in love with you, Tug Roper." Lauren replied, letting her hands fall down from his hair to her sides.

"Well, that's good, because I am madly in love with you, Lauren Black." Tug replied, pulling her in for another kiss.

A choking noise made the two split apart and look around wildly for the source of the sound. Lauren's heart froze when she found the source of the sound; her father, who was looking at her with his arms crossed. "Lauren Black! I can't believe you. I take you out of your old school and put you in a new one because you were asked out by a human and not even two weeks go by and I find you kissing one? What have I told you repeatedly? I won't tolerate relationships with humans! I let you have friends, I let you go to their houses, and them to ours, but I will not tolerate you kissing them!"

"But father, this is Tug, but I can't expect you to remember him. He's the boy who asked me out and was the reason we moved in the first place. So it's not like I-"

But Pitch interrupted her. "That makes it even worse! You blatantly went against everything I asked of you for him? He is nothing but a scraggly rat. Look." And with the snap of his fingers, Pitch turned Tug into a rat.

Lauren screamed and plucked him up from the ground. Clutching Tug against her chest, Lauren looked over at Pitch and yelled at him "You turn him back right now!" Pitch rolled his eyes and lazily flicked his fingers, causing Tug to fly towards the ground and turn back into a human. After checking that Tug was okay, Lauren walked past him and pointed angrily at Pitch. "What is wrong with you? You haven't been the same since mother died! Always jumping on me for receiving so much as a text message from one of my friends! If she had not told you to put me in a human school, you would have never let me out of your sight again!"

Pitch waved his hand furiously through the air and formed a shadow hand that wrapped around Lauren's neck and lifted her up against the wall. She choked out a gasp and clawed at the shadow hand but it was to no avail. "Don't you dare bring up your mother, especially in this conversation! She was always obsessed with the filthy humans you love so much! Doing whatever she could to make them happy. And what do they do in return? They polluted the Earth to the point where she died!

Despite the fact that she was choking, Lauren was able to say "Don't you think I know that, too? She was my mother and yes she was killed by humans but not by the ones I love! Just because several humans did something wrong, you blame all of them! Every night, when they fall asleep, you send out a fleet of the worst nightmares imaginable but why? It doesn't bring her back! It just makes you madder!"

Pitch's hand tightened, as did the shadow around Lauren's neck and her face turned a deep shade of purple. Seeing this, Tug ran at Pitch and pushed him with all he had. Pitch looked at him and flung Tug backward and into the brick wall. The force of hitting the wall stunned him and he limply slid down the wall with a thud. The ghouls looked from her father to Lauren and then ran at Pitch. "Stop! Stop it right now!" Sibella yelled, grabbing his arm and pulling on it. "You are going to kill her!" Hearing that seemed to snap Pitch out of the trance and he pulled back, the shadow hand disappearing.

Lauren dropped ten feet to the ground and the force of the impact on the hardened ground stunned her so that she did not move. The ghouls swarmed around Lauren as Pitch backed away from them all. Making certain that no one saw what he was doing, Pitch dove into the nearest shadow and vanished without a trace. Sibella rolled Lauren over and put the girl's head in her lap.

After a second, Lauren sat up, rolled out of Sibella's lap, and began to cough up blood. After a moment, she sat back up and leaned against the wall, moaning slightly. Suddenly she had a thought and her eyes shot open and Lauren looked from the blood to the Count and then to Sibella, who her eyes rested on as she spoke "Oh man, if you need to go outside and get some fresh air, go ahead. I'm so sorry. I did that without thinking."

Ignoring this, Sibella examined the girl with her lithe fingers before finding the source of the damage. "Lauren, I think you might have punctured a lung since you coughed up blood."

Lauren shook her head and said, "I will be fine in a minute."

"Are you kidding?" Sibella asked her, incredulous.

"No, I am not," Lauren replied steadily, her breath regained. "I can heal faster than a normal person, or even a normal ghoul, so this should just take another minute."

After an uncomfortable beat, Sibella cautiously asked her "Lauren, has this ever happened before?"

Shakily, Lauren nodded and then elaborated. "Just once. But it was an accident then." This was met with silence. After a moment, Lauren formed a fist and launched it at her ribs to the collective gasps of every single person in the room.

"What are you doing?" Sibella shrieked, making a grab for her arm.

Lauren reflexively snatched her arms out of Sibella's grasp. "Seeing if they were done yet, it's taking an awfully long time."

"And?" Sibella asked impatiently.

"They are," Lauren replied, standing up. Looking around, she frowned when she realized that her father was gone.

Sibella put her arms around Lauren's shoulders and said, "He's gone."

* * *

 **Hey guys, gals, and non-binary pals! I just wanted to thank you all for reading my story so far. I hope you lot have enjoyed reading it just as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Sorry that this is such a short chapter but I have been so busy with exams as of late that I have had zero time to write. I promise the next chapter will be longer. Love you guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A Quick Recovery**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

"I won't let you hurt them, too!" Lauren screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes snapping open. Taking in her surroundings, Lauren froze. All five ghouls surrounded her, with varying shades of concern on their faces. Lauren blushed before saying "Sorry about that. I usually don't get nightmares. How long have I been screaming, exactly?"

The ghouls exchanged nervous glances before Elsa somberly replied "Half an hour."

Lauren's blush deepened as she moaned quietly in embarrassment.

It was quiet for a moment when Winnie suddenly asked, "Who was your mama?"

"My mother was Mother Nature," replied Lauren as she straightened up.

"Your mummy was Mother Nature? The Mother Nature?" Tanis asked her in awe. She scooted closer to Lauren then, fascinated.

"Yeah, she was. Until she died. Then I sort of just took over her job." This was met with varying shades of interest.

"What? You have Mother Nature's job? What is that like?" Phantasma asked Lauren curiously.

Lauren pondered that for a moment before replying "Well, I don't know whether or not I got all her powers but at least I got her looks." That explained her blonde hair, blue eyes, and deep tan whereas Pitch was pale, and had black hair and eyes. "At the very least, I can communicate with animals and plants. I have a bit of control over them as well. And I can fluctuate the weather as well, but not very well. And that about sums it up."

"Wow!" Elsa exclaimed.

"But that's nothing compared to what she could do. She could fly, didn't need to breathe so she could spend days under water, and she didn't eat because she would never knowingly hurt a plant or animal. She could change the weather from sunny to rainy in the blink of an eye, sometimes she'd lose control when she was overcome by a powerful emotion, but that rarely happened. She could turn into animals and plants, change her appearance at will, and could make the animals defend her if she was in danger."

"Whoa!" The ghouls appreciatively exclaimed. They had no idea how gifted their friend truly was.

"What powers did you gain from your dad?" Winnie asked after a beat, intrigued.

"Well, some I was born with, others I learned over time by him teaching me. I can teleport, talk to his nightmares, and control them." Lauren said quickly. "And I am sorry for keeping you ghouls up. I do not think it will happen again. He cannot stay mad at me forever."

"You mean to tell me that your father gives you nightmares whenever he is mad at you? That is not okay!" Sibella cried furiously.

Lauren shrugged at that and replied "It's not like I can do anything about it. Though it was a very good sign when he turned Tug back from a rat to a human. It means he will get over it faster."

"But you did nothing wrong!" Phantasma retorted hotly.

"Would you like to tell my father that?" Lauren asked her, absent-mindedly lithely touching her neck. The wounds had all perfectly healed but you could still make out the finger-shaped indentations on her fragile flesh. Phantasma shamefully looked away from Lauren and did not say anything else after that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: First Day**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lauren was sprawled out on her bed, still very much asleep, when her door was banged open. Startled, she jumped up and fell out her bed. Then she lithely leaped to her feet and wildly looked around to see Sibella leaning against her door frame. "What are you doing up at-" Lauren checked the time before continuing "Six in the morning?"

Sibella smiled before walking in and saying "Because it's the first day of school of course! Classes begin at eight and I figured you would want to get to those on time."

Lauren's face brightened as she said "The first day of school you say? Thanks for getting me up! I would have slept right on past eight if it weren't for you."

"No problem. I'll come get you before I head on down so that you know where to go." Sibella offered.

"What will I need for the class?"

"Just bring a pencil. Miss Grimwood will provide the rest."

"One last question before I let you go. How should I dress?"

"It doesn't matter. Miss Grimwood isn't picky about clothes."

"Alrighty. Thanks, Sibella. Come get me whenever."

Sibella nodded and shut the door on her way out.

Lauren quickly made up her bed and then selected a short blue dress and a pair of brown sandals for the day. She found one of her more fancy bags, brown leather with a lace design on the front, to carry her phone, earbuds, a small notebook, several new and freshly sharpened pencils, and a purple pencil sharpener.

As Lauren put the finishing touches on her hair and added the last bit of lip gloss to her lips, someone knocked on her door. Turning around, Lauren saw Sibella walk into the room in her usual purple dress and red belt. "Oh, you look absolutely fangtastic for the first day!"

"Thanks," Lauren replied, blushing a bit.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Heck yeah!" Lauren exclaimed, strapping her bag onto her back. The pair of them exited the room, Lauren shutting her door behind her. Checking the time, Lauren saw it was seven o'clock. "If the rest of the girls are down there, we'll have time for one more picture." She said absent-mindedly to herself. She glanced over a Sibella, who was smiling as she walked beside Lauren on the way to class, and was struck by the thought that she might not even be here if it wasn't for Sibella. The thought was powerful enough to make her stop in her tracks.

Taking notice that Lauren had stopped, Sibella turned around and looked at her before asking the girl "Why'd you stop? Is something wrong?"

Lauren looked her in the eye and felt tears well up in them and before she knew what she was doing, Lauren was crying. Hot, salty tears fell from her eyes and traced the outline of her cheeks and nose as Lauren spoke. "I... I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

"What are you talking about?" Sibella asked, wrapping her arms around Lauren's shoulders.

"He would have killed me if you hadn't intervened. He's never gone on so long... before. Occasionally, I'll pass out, but this time was different. I could tell he wouldn't let go if I collapsed. He would have kept strangling me until I was dead. I've never seen him this upset before. I've never had nightmares this long, either. It's not me so much I'm worried about as I am for you girls because they won't go away when I command them and if they're bothering me, I know they're bothering you and Phanty, Winnie, Elsa, and even little Tanis! He's attacking you five to get back at me and I can't do anything about it! And don't say you're sleeping fine, Sibella, because I can clearly see the bags under your eyes. No, it's not the makeup's fault, it's just my job to know anything that is out of place with every living thing on the planet because at least one of my parents wasn't twisted. And I'm sorry this is happening to you because it's all my fault and I already owe you my life several times over! Sibella, please forgive me!" and with that, Lauren flung her arms around Sibella's neck and hugged her tightly to herself.

Sibella was quick to hug her back but as she hugged Lauren, she said to her "You've done more for me and the other ghouls then we will ever be able to repay you for. But don't think for a single second that I was going to just sit there while your father killed you. I don't care what problem he has with humans because they killed his wife. If he kills his daughter over that, he's not fit to be king. He's the reason we have such a bad reputation amongst humans. And as for the nightmares, they're not the worst thing in the world. As long as they stay in dream form it won't bug me. You don't owe me a single thing but if it makes you feel better, then yes, I forgive you."

The girls pulled apart, their hands resting on each other's shoulders, as Lauren asked, "So... so what are your nightmares about, if, you know, you-"

"It's okay. They're actually about you, mostly. No! Not like that!" Sibella said, looking at the expression on Lauren's face. "It's about you... disappearing. You just vanish and the school becomes... depressing, I suppose. It's hard to put into words. It's almost like you just have to see it... to know what it's like." and slowly Sibella succumbed to tears as well and the girls went back to hugging each other. It was several minutes before they pulled apart and looked at each other yet again.

Lauren put a hand on Sibella's cheek and began wiping her tears away with her thumb. "You shouldn't cry. It doesn't suit you." Lauren told her with a slight smile.

Sibella giggled before saying "Look who's talking. I never thought there would come a day when you would cry. You're just so happy all the time."

"Oh please. You've known me for just a month. I can't have shown nothing more than the emotional range of a teaspoon."

"Not true! If there's an emotion you haven't shown, it doesn't exist. From helping us win the volleyball match for the first time in its history to saving us from the evil clutches of Revolta and keeping us from being Revoltized, getting turned into a frog in the process, I might add. You've shown us how to have a good time as well! Slumber parties, selfies, card games, just talking with you is fun!"

An idea flitted into Lauren's mind as soon as Sibella put the period on the end of her sentence. "What if you ghouls spent the night with me this weekend. I mean, you do get those off, don't you?"

"Of course we do, it's just, we usually use the weekend to study or work on an assignment from Miss Grimwood."

"Wait, wait, wait. I just need to clear something up here before you continue. Is the human weekend the same length as a weekend here?"

"Well, how long is a human weekend?"

"A human weekend is normally two days long. Three or four depending on what holiday is coming up."

"Humans celebrate holidays other than Halloween?"

"Yeah! There's Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's day, April Fool's day, and in America, we have Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July. But back to the main topic. How long is a Grimwood weekend?"

"A Grimwood weekend is the same as a human weekend. Two days. And it's on Saturday and Sunday."

"Something our schools actually have in common!" Lauren exclaimed happily, forgetting for a moment about the crying feels fest that had just taken place a mere moment ago and focused on how happy she was at the revelation that her two schools had something in common between the two of them. It was the bridge she had been looking for to connect her old life with her new one.

Lauren opened her mouth to add on to it when Phantasma glided by and said "Lauren! Sibella! What are you ghouls doing out here? Class is about to begin." as she disappeared through the door.

Sibella looked from the door in which Phantasma had just disappeared to Lauren and asked her "Do you feel up to going to class or should I tell Miss Grimwood you were having a bat day and needed to lie down?"

"I'm okay. Really, it's nothing to worry about." Lauren reassured her before taking a brave step towards the door before whirling around and asking "But what about you? Are you going to be okay?"

"Me? Why wouldn't I be?" Sibella asked, taken just slightly aback. Instead of letting Lauren answer, however, Sibella continued on by saying "But no, I'm fine. C'mon, Phantasma usually shows up seconds before class beings. We might be late if we don't go right now."

And without any further explanation, the two ghouls walked through the door and took two seats beside one another at the front. Apparently, they were not late because Miss Grimwood hadn't walked in yet. The ghouls talked animatedly among one another, each talking over the others to tell Lauren all about Miss Grimwood's lessons and what stuff they would most likely be covering during the year when the door opened with a bang and Miss Grimwood walked in.

Everyone quit talking next to immediately as she stood at the front of the class. "Terrible morning, class! And welcome back! I'm sure you've all enjoyed the past weeks off, what with the victory against the Calloway Cadets at volleyball and all." Miss Grimwood paused for a moment to allow the girls to cheer and congratulations to Lauren who lead them to victory. Once it died down, Miss Grimwood continued, saying "Yes, I am very proud of all of you for the effort each and everyone one of you gave out there. Because of the hard work you girls put into the game, I propose to give you all no homework for the rest of the year, unless you don't finish an assignment in which you will have to take it with you overnight and bring in the next morning." This was met with more cheering and much thanks from the ghouls.

"Oh, you're the best, Miss Grimwood!" Lauren flattered her with a beam.

"Yes! Absolutely fangtastic!" Sibella agreed.

Miss Grimwood beamed at them all and said "Thank you. You ghouls spoil me. Now, as a special treat for the first class of the year and seeing as we have a new student," Miss Grimwood denoted to Lauren and then continued, saying "I thought we might start out the year doing something fun, that is, more fun than that which we normally do. I want each of you to choose a play or musical that you like and write an essay convincing me to let the class watch it. Think of it as a contest. The essay I find most convincing will win and that particular play or musical will be shown to the class. Seeing as we don't have that kind of technology, the Colonel has graciously lent me a projector for the use but he didn't have a spare laptop for us to use." At this, she turned towards Lauren and spoke directly to her. "However, he did say cell phones could be hooked up to the projector as well. Do you think we could use yours?"

"Miss Grimwood, I have a laptop as well. I brought mine with me when I came. I brought that, my phone, and a small, wireless printer as well, in case you need to print something out you'd be welcome to borrow it." When this was meant with blank stares, Lauren said "Never mind. But yes, of course, you may borrow my laptop. Feel free anytime."

Miss Grimwood beamed at her and said "Thank you, Lauren." before continuing on with her project to the rest of the class. "You have until this time next week to work on your essays. I'll give you all the class time until then to work on it so begin!"

Lauren raised her hand then and asked "Miss Grimwood?"

"Whatever can I help you with, Lauren?"

"I was just wondering if I could use my laptop to work on the essay."

"I don't see why not. But you wouldn't mind sharing with the other girls, would you?"

"By all means, of course, they can, if they need to," Lauren replied, pulling the fourteen-inch computer out from her bag. "I always brought it to classes with me at my old school," Lauren explained as she opened up the laptop and turned it on. As it turned on, she thought about which play or musical she might want to do for her essay.

* * *

 **AN: I am almost done with finals so I thought I would post a new chapter to celebrate being nearly liberated! I hope you guys enjoyed reading Chapter 8 almost as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Big Winner**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC. Everything else belongs to their perspective owners.

* * *

Lauren wanted to make sure didn't select the same play or musical as one of the other ghouls. 'The Phantom of the Opera' was out because Phantasma would probably be doing that one in particular. Drilling her fingers against her desk, Lauren looked up at her laptop to see that the desktop was open. She opened a new doc on Word and saved it as 'Play/Musical Essay' before opening up Google Chrome. She decided to browse the internet for a play or musical she would like to do. She stayed away from anything to do with Egypt in the off chance Tanis might be doing one of them. Anything to do with wolves, dogs, or werewolves, she ignored as well, for Winnie. And anything that had a lot to do with science, she left alone for Elsa. And, of course, she left Twilight alone, not because Sibella would want to do anything with it, but rather that the vampire would never be friends with her again if she saw it.

Deciding that since most everyone else would be doing a play, Lauren revisited her essay and changed it to just 'Musical Essay' and then brought Google Chrome backup. Once the search engine was opened, Lauren Googled 'funny fan-made musicals' and looked to see what popped up. The first one was a video that directed her to 'A Very Potter Musical'. Interested, Lauren reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of earbuds. Inserting them into the jack, she clicked the video that directed her to Youtube and began to play. The video buffered for a second before playing but no sound was emitted. Looking over at the volume panel, Lauren observed she had it set on mute. Clicking it upwards, Lauren stopped at ten and then resumed to play the video.

It began with Harry sitting in his trunk and he was singing. "Underneath these stairs, I hear the sneers and feel the glares of my cousin, my uncle, and my aunt. Can't believe how cruel they are and it stings my lighting scar to know they'll never ever give me what I want. I know I don't deserve these stupid rules made by the Dursleys here on Privet drive. Can't take all of these stupid muggles, but despite all of my struggles, I'm still alive. I'm sick of summer and this waiting around. Man, it's September, and I'm skipping this town. Hey, it's no mystery, there's nothing here for me now. I gotta get back to Hogwarts. I gotta get back to school. Gotta get back to Hogwarts where everybody knows I'm cool. Back to wizards and witches, and magical beasts. To goblins and ghosts and magical feasts. It's all that I love, and it's all that I need. Hogwarts, Hogwarts, I think I'm going back."

After a few minutes, Ron and Hermione were singing along with him and the trio were great, but it was Hermione's solo that sold Lauren and made her chose it as her musical. "I may be frumpy, but I'm super smart. Check out my grades, they're "A's" for a start. What I lack in looks well I make up in heart, and well guys, yeah, that's totally awesome. This year I plan to study a lot." And then Ron cut in and said, "That would be cool if you were actually hot."

Lauren covered her mouth with her hand and snorted before opening up the doc and re-renaming it 'A Very Potter Musical Essay'. She decided to watch the rest of the play since classes were probably as long, or even longer, as those at her old school. Just minutes later when Cho and her posse came out to Chinese theme and it turned out Cho was the country bumpkin, Lauren snorted yet again and wasn't disappointed at all when Malfoy turned out to be a girl and moved around by falling all over the floor and talking about going to Pigfarts which was on Mars and is run by Rumbleroar, the talking lion, who if you were good, would let you ride on his back. A couple minutes later, when Lauren saw Quirrel and Voldemort, she completely lost her cool and was crying, she was laughing so hard. But she quickly composed herself and began working on her essay. She began typing, all the while listening and snorted when Quirrel appeared and Malfoy shouted, "Go home, terrorist!"

By the time the three-hour musical was over, Lauren had five pages written. Taken out her earbuds, she raised her hand and flagged Miss Grimwood over to her. "Yes, Lauren?"

"Well, I have a few questions about the essay. How long does it need to be, what questions do we need to address in the essay, and is there anything else the essay needs to mention apart from reasons why we should watch it?"

"The length is your decision, just know the longer it is, the more likely it'll be chosen. As for what needs to be put in the essay, as long as you give a convincing argument as to why the play or musical needs to be watched, then you have done all that needs to be done. Is there anything else you need, dearie?"

"Thanks, Miss Grimwood, but no thanks. That's all." And with that, Lauren turned back to her laptop and began revising parts of it. She had it divided into several sections. The first chunk talked about the major parts of the play, followed by another part that covered the finer details of it. Then she spent the four and a half pages she had done giving reasons why 'A Very Potter Musical' should be the winner of the competition. It was the perfect parody based on the perfect series.

To explain, Lauren went into details about the Harry Potter series before describing how different parts in the books were reflected in the play, but twisted a bit, to make sure it wasn't just a copy of the movies. And because it was fan made, it had a certain humorous air that wasn't in the films because they weren't doing it for a profit and were working with a very limited budget.

Lauren focused a lot on Malfoy and Quirrel and Voldemort, namely because of the fact that when any of the three were shown, you were bound to laugh. And because in the films, Ron is known to eat a lot, every other scene in the musical involved Ron eating some ridiculous type of food; Chinese takeout, a pack of Oreos, and a giant chocolate bar, just to name a few. And the part with Pigfarts; a parody of Hogwarts, Cho Chang being a hillbilly, and the performances of Snape and Dumbledore made the musical the smashing hit it was.

Lauren leaned back in the chair and stretched. Miss Grimwood had passed out lunch an hour ago and the remnants of the sandwich were strewn all over Lauren's desk. Sighing, she bent back over the laptop and started elaborating on what she already had to make it longer. Maybe she could bore Miss Grimwood into just choosing her musical. Then, looking around, Lauren shook her head. Miss Grimwood would have only six essays to grade. She couldn't be bought with boredom. The only way 'A Very Potter Musical' would be chosen is if Lauren wrote the best essay, but seeing as she knew every way to write a killer essay and was the only ghoul with access to a laptop and Microsoft's editing tools, hers would be neater and cleaner. Chuckling to herself, Lauren laughed at how serious she was taking this essay competition. She wanted to win and have everyone watch 'A Very Potter Musical' for no other reason than having the feeling of victory of having been chosen. Her fingers clicking away on the keys, Lauren's hands flew across the keyboard faster than she could run or Sibella could fly (in bat form, obviously). Her essay was going to be the winner if she had any say about it.

A week later, Miss Grimwood was about to announce the winner of each essay. "You all did fabulously! Tanis, with her essay about 'The Prince of Egypt', Elsa, with her essay about 'Frankenstein', Winnie, with her essay about 'The Hungry, Hungry Werewolf', Phantasma, with her essay about 'The Phantom of the Opera', Sibella, with her essay about 'Dracula', and Lauren, with her essay about 'A Very Potter Musical'. They were all very good, but I have to say the winner is... Lauren! With her essay about 'A Very Potter Musical'! It was a thrilling tale about a boy wizard who is treated poorly at home and brought to a wizarding school where he learns to harness his powers. As a baby, the evilest wizard of all time tried to kill him, but he failed, so in the musical, he sneaks into Hogwarts and tries to kill Harry during the House Cup Tournament. Not to mention, it's filled with hilarious spells of comedy that I'm sure you girls will love! That, and it's three hours long so it should take up a nice, long time. Lauren, could you help me set it up?"

"I can do it myself, thanks, Miss Grimwood." Lauren pulled down the projector screen, plugged her laptop up to the projector, and her speaker to the laptop. She turned the volume up to max and began playing the video before running back to her seat by Sibella, from which she happily watched the musical, thrilled to have hers been chosen.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: A Surprise Visit**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lauren's eyes suddenly snapped open for no apparent reason and she quickly rolled over in bed so she was now on her back. Looking up, Lauren was shocked to see her father looking down on her. When he realized Lauren was awake, he cleared his throat, kneeled down so they were eye to eye, and said, "Hello, Lauren."

Lauren swallowed, choking back every curse word she had seen written on stall doors at her old school, and greeted him coldly. "Hello… father."

Pitch's eyes fell sadly and he said, "I came to apologize to you."

"Oh, really? You think an apology will make up for you nearly killing me? If Sibella hadn't stopped you, I would most likely be dead right now." At least Pitch had the decency to look ashamed of himself. That was good. "Or have you stopped by to simply finish the job?" Lauren asked him. "Because I assure you, it won't be clean. I will fight you until I die."

"I-"

"Don't interrupt me. Giving my friends nightmares, unspeakably cruel ones, just because I pissed you off is inexcusable! I had Tanis come to me almost every night these past few weeks crying because she was so terrified! Do you know how old Tanis is? She's hardly six years old!"

"I know and I'm sorry. It was wrong of me."

"Are you? Was it, really? Or are you just saying those things?" It wasn't going to be like last time when she forgave him because his voice cracked and he hugged her and it turned into a sob fest. This time, she was going to drag him over the coals. Lauren was going to make him mean it with every fiber of his very being that he was sorry. So sorry he almost lost his daughter along with his wife. Sorry that he had caused his daughter's ten closest friends to have the worst nightmares of their lives just because she had run her mouth a bit too much. It didn't matter what happened to her. She could take it. It was other people that concerned her because they were not as strong. "If you're sorry then you'll quit giving nightmares to Marcella, Tara, Jazz, Sibella, Tanis, Phantasma, Winnie, and Elsa."

"I am sincerely sorry and I promise never to forget the list again."

"I don't want nightmares, either. I'm wasting good makeup to cover the bags I have been having under my eyes lately."

"I swear to it. I should have never given you nightmares anyway if for no other reason than you're my daughter and the only person on the planet that I truly love."

Lauren decided it was worth milking and said "I don't want Tug to have nightmares, either. Not him."

Pitch's face froze. "T-Tug? The boy?"

"Yes, the boy. I love him, father, and we're still going out so I think it would be nice and proper if at the very least you stopped giving him nightmares as well."

Pitch hung his head out in defeat and said "Oh, very well, then. I promise to no longer give Tug Roper another nightmare as long as he shall live."

Lauren leaped up, then, and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, father. I forgive you."

Pitch hugged her back, glad he could do so again. "I love you so very much."

"I love you, too, father." And this time, she truly meant it.

* * *

In the morning, all the girls looked refreshed. Lauren smiled serenely and asked Tanis "So how'd you sleep last night, kid?"

"Soundly! I had the sweetest dreams about back home and the Pyramids! It's the first time in weeks I've gone without a nightmare!"

At that, Sibella glanced curiously at Lauren before saying "Me, too, Tanis."

Lauren ignored Sibella's curious look and said "Hey, that's great for both of you! Why not, to celebrate, we have another slumber party in my room this Friday night? We could order some pizza, do each other's makeup, oh, man, we could do blindfolded makeovers! And we have to play truth or dare and would you rather? because it would be an absolute crime not to!" And before Lauren could continue and all the girls had agreed to the plan, Miss Grimwood waltzed in and began the class, smiling pleasantly.

During lunch, Miss Grimwood walked over to Lauren's desk and asked her "May I have a word in the corridor with you, Lauren, dear?"

Lauren pushed away her bowl of spider soup and stood up. "Certainly, Miss Grimwood."

The two walked out into the corridor and Lauren leaned against the wall as Miss Grimwood shut the door behind them. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor." Miss Grimwood began, walking over to where Lauren was leaning.

"What is it you need me to do?" Lauren asked her.

"Well, I was just wondering that since you did such a good job coaching the girls and preparing them for the volleyball match, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind filling in the role of the P.E. teacher? It would be a big help since you're obviously more qualified than I am."

Lauren rubbed her arm up and down self consciously before saying "I don't know, Miss Grimwood. I'm just a student myself. Would it not be more beneficial to get a P.E. teacher who is better qualified, better trained, and has a degree?"

Miss Grimwood smiled and waved her hands in dismissal. "Nonsense! You'd be perfect! Besides, who else could we get to come out here, even if the school is perfect?"

Lauren held back a laugh, not because she didn't love the school, she cherished every second she was here, but that others, namely outsiders, wouldn't be as loving towards them. Sighing in defeat, Lauren said "I suppose it would be fun. Yeah, I'll do it, if you're sure you want me to."

"Marvelous!" Miss Grimwood said, clapping her hands together.

"I have a few questions, though." Lauren began.

"What are they?" Miss Grimwood asked her.

"Well, what's the curriculum for this school? Do I need to make tests or projects or anything like that?"

Miss Grimwood looked at her for a moment and said "Er... no. You mean your old P.E. coach had you taking tests and assigned projects? What does that have to do with physical education?"

Lauren smiled, then, not believing this. "Absolutely nothing. You're exactly right, I've no idea why I asked that in the first place. But is there any sort of activity curriculum?"

"No, just as long as you girls are having fun and playing a game you enjoy."

"You mean P.E. here is just whatever seems fun to you?" Lauren incredulously queried.

"Yes of course! The more enjoyment you feel for something, the better you will do." Miss Grimwood declared wisely.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Miss Grimwood. When do I start?"

"Oh, I was hoping after lunch, if that's all right."

After lunch? She would have maybe twenty minutes left to plan out something for however long they had. "Okay, how long do you normally give them for P.E.?"

"Oh, around an hour and a half. Give them a little extra time to stretch their legs and all."

So she had twenty minutes to plan for ninety minutes worth of exercise. "Do you care if I go and set up?"

"Sure. Go on ahead. Where should I tell the girls to meet you?"

Lauren thought before saying "The room where we practiced ballet in, but we're not doing ballet." and without further ado, she snatched her bag from the ground and dashed toward her room, immediately stripping off her clothes without even bothering to shut the door behind her exposed back. She pulled on a pair of coral running shorts, blue Nike sneakers, and a running tank that read 'I Run Because I Really Like Food' before grabbing her bag of sports equipment and sprinting up the stairs and into the ballet room, looking for extra equipment. Deeply disappointed by a lack thereof, Lauren typed herself a note on her phone to stop by her home and gather up any extra sporting goods she had there after school that day.

Checking the time, she had five minutes before the girls would show up. Pacing fiercely, Lauren knew she was limited when it came to their options. With only six people total, there weren't a lot of sports that could be played, and that was with the right equipment, another thing she was limited in. Looking around, Lauren spotted a small closet. Inside it was a dusty table, paint, small, broken pieces of wood, cloth swatches, and some random tools. There was also a couple of random balls in there, a volleyball, a soccer ball, and a basketball. Lauren took out the volleyball, soccer ball, and basketball before placing them inside her duffel bag. They weren't of use sitting in the closet, anyway, so she might as well hold on to them until they could be used. She would see about constructing some makeshift goals for soccer and finding something for a basketball goal. And, eyeing the table, Lauren began thinking about how she could convert that into a ping pong table. It was just about the right size, after all. And, conveniently enough, there were several cans of white paint along the bottom of it. That would work perfectly for painting on border lines.

Lauren was just imagining what she would use for the net and paddles when she heard voices from outside. Snatching up her duffel bag, Lauren walked out the door to greet them. "Hey, ghouls. Change of plans. Let's go down to the volleyball court. I would have a more fun option for us, but with such limited equipment..." Lauren trailed off with a shrug before looking up from the ball she was anxiously wringing in her hands. Without having to speak a word, the ghouls turned in the other direction and walked out the school, Lauren lingering behind them.

Sibella slowed her pace and fell back, finally side to side with Lauren. "Are you alright?" Sibella asked her, snapping her out of the trance she had been in.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I suppose. I just feel kinda lame, bringing you all out to play volleyball, which you're probably sick of by this point, but it's the only thing we can play at the moment unless you'd rather run laps all day."

Sibella laughed and said "Sick of volleyball? That'll never happen. It's tradition, practically. And besides, we're not going to blame you, no matter how lame it is."

Lauren smirked and replied "Thanks, I think. Anyway, tomorrow, I'll have something else, something better."

Sibella rolled her eyes and replied "You're trying too hard. It doesn't matter that you're supposed to be our teacher, you're still our best friend, and you don't need to go out of your way to make P.E. any more fun than it needs to be."

Lauren let the words go in one ear and out the other. Once this class was over, she was going home to gather materials before fixing up a ping pong table, two soccer goals, and a basketball goal. Arriving at the court caught Lauren by surprise, she had been so deep in thought. Setting her duffle bag on the ground, Lauren unzipped it and pulled out a volleyball. "You girls know how to play this, pretty darn well, too, if I may add, so let's get lined up. Organize yourselves into teams, feel free to argue about who gets me on their team, and we'll play. Okay? Okay." And Lauren tossed them the ball before bending down to zip up her bag. Once zipped up, she rose, stretched a bit, before heading over to the court and joining the team that had just two members.

The teams were Lauren, Sibella, and Winnie vs Elsa, Tanis, and Phantasma. Lauren tossed the ball to Winnie who served and the game began. They would play a game, take a five-minute break to talk, and play another game. Before they knew it, they'd been at it for eighty minutes and Lauren caught the volleyball in the air before saying "Alright, girls, you played a mean game today. Nice work! But we should probably start heading back up to the school for the last bit of class or Miss Grimwood will fire me." They sniggered as they all marched back up to the school. Lauren didn't have time to change so she just put on some deodorant, sprayed a bit of perfume on her front, brushed her hair out, and walked inside.

On the way to class, Miss Grimwood pulled her aside and asked, "So how did it go?"

"Swell. Really swell. But maybe P.E. can become the last class of the day?" Lauren suggested, her current, disgruntled look coming to mind.

"I think that would work. Just remind me I said that tomorrow in case I forget." Lauren nodded, promised she would remind her, and sat down as Miss Grimwood began to talk. "Ok ghouls, that will be all today. See you tomorrow morning." And with that, they were dismissed.

* * *

Lauren ran into her room, threw her bag on the floor by her bed, shook the contents of her duffle bag out on her bed and teleported home to gather up any athletic wear and equipment she could scrounge up. She went into her room and rifled through her old shelves and drawers. She found four ping pong paddles, a dozen ping pong balls, five unopened canisters of tennis balls, a sack of used tennis balls, three extra rackets (she'd already brought one with her to Miss Grimwood's, as well as a canister of balls to practice with), a spare volleyball, two spare soccer balls, a blue and red basketball, two jump ropes, a brown and black basketball, four badminton rackets, two shuttlecocks, some extra running gear she could give to the girls, and a couple extra pairs of tennis shoes. It wouldn't all fit in her duffel bag, so it took three trips to transport it all back to school. Then she started looking around for stuff she could use to make a ping pong table, two soccer goals, and a basketball goal. She found a sewing kit with some extra thread and shoved that in the bag. She also found a large net and that went into the bag as well. She found rubber bands, paper clips, glue, string, and some ribbons, and shoved them all in the bag as well.

Feeling around for anything she could have possibly missed, Lauren stumbled across a framed photo of her and her old friends. Smiling, she took a jacket down from her closet, wrapped it around the photo, gingerly placed it in her bag, and teleported back to school to start working on the equipment.

Once back in her room at Miss Grimwood's, Lauren emptied the last few contents out of her bag out on her bad and began organizing the stuff. She lined up all the balls against the wall and the rackets and paddles she leaned against her dresser. The extra athletic clothing and tennis shoes she evenly distributed between five bags for the five ghouls. She hung the jump ropes on the headboard of her bed. Unwrapping the framed picture of her and her friends, Lauren tossed the jacket in a drawer and gently placed the photograph on her bedside lampstand. Looking over the last bit of content that was strewed across the surface of her bed, Lauren picked up the rubber bands, paper clips, glue, string, and ribbons and put them in a small drawer under her lamp.

She then crept upstairs to where the ballet room was and threw open the closet door inside. She pulled out the table and set it in the middle of the room. Then she pulled out the pails of paint and pried them open experimentally to see what was inside them. One contained white paint which would be good for painting on boundary lines and another contained dark blue paint. Lauren found a paintbrush in the recesses of the closet and dusted it off before dipping it inside the blue paint. Wiping the edge off on the bucket, Lauren began to paint the surface of the table with even strokes. Once the surface was entirely blue, Lauren put on a second coat just for good measure. Once that was successfully done, she magicked away the blue paint on the brush, leaving it clean, before dipping it in the white pain. After the brush was satisfactorily covered in white paint, Lauren began to paint on boundary lines, checking an image of a correct ping pong table on her phone just to make sure she had painted them on all right. Once happy with what she had done, Lauren pulled out the fishing net she had found earlier and cut it into the shape of a ping-pong table's net. Once satisfied, she found two sticks and placed them along the middle width of the table and tied the net to each stick. Then she hoisted the makeshift ping pong net and nailed each stick to the table. Pushing it, to test its sturdiness, Lauren was satisfied by its structural integrity and pushed the table to the far side of the room, setting to work on making two soccer goals. Nailing together some piping for the frame, she had made two semicircle goals that just needed netting.

Since the piping looked a little rusty she used some of the leftover white paint and painted the frames before working on the netting. Using most of the leftover netting, Lauren draped it over each goal before nail it down as well. Setting those by the ping pong table, she started working on the basketball goal. Finding a piece of wood that was roughly three by three, she painted it white before using the remainder of the blue paint to draw the traditional lines commonly found on a basketball goal, including the little bullseye shape in the corner. Once that was successfully achieved, she took some metal, bent into a rough circle shape, painted it red, and nailed it onto the goal. Then she took the rest of the net, wrapped it around the bottom of the circle, and trimmed away excessive pieces. She then leaned it against the wall to look at it, the two makeshift soccer goals, and her crafty creation of a ping pong table. Tomorrow she would hang it up in some tree somewhere when there was better lighting. Smiling at a job well done, Lauren threw the excess wood, paint, netting, piping, and brush back into the closet before walking out of the room, dashing down the steps, and heading into her room. She walked through the door to her room, shut it as gently as possible, and began stripping. She had gotten flecks of paint on her running tank and shorts would have to wash them soon before it dried. Once in her night clothes, Lauren stretched out the fabric of her paint stained clothes, said a few words, and magicked them away.

She was folding them up and walking back over to the dresser when the silence was ripped apart by a slow clapping sound. Lauren whipped around and found the source of the clapping. It was her father. "How long have you been in here?"

"I sensed your magic when you cast your spell to remove all that paint from your clothes and it reminded me of something," Pitch explained.

"Reminded you of what?" Lauren asked, leaning against the dresser.

"How big you've gotten. And... I wanted you to have this." Pitch held up a small book in his hand before tossing it to Lauren who deftly caught it in her hands.

She flipped through it, then shut it, and asked, "What is it?"

"My spellbook."

"Y-your spellbook?" Lauren stuttered in surprise before asking a follow-up question. "But why are you giving it to me?"

"I have it memorized by heart and you can already do magic so well I thought I'd give it to you. Let you test your powers out a bit and see what you can do with it." Pitch elucidated with a soft smile.

"Wow. Just wow. Thanks, father." Lauren said genuinely, walking towards him and giving him a hug.

Pitch hugged her back and said, "You're welcome, darling." After a moment, Pitch broke the embrace and said "I really must be getting back to work now, but I shall see you soon. Goodbye, Lauren."

"Goodbye, father," Lauren said as he disappeared into the shadows. Lauren turned her lamp back on, crawled into bed, and began looking through the spells. There were love spells, anti-love spells, a spell to revive a dying person, a spell that knocked a person out, one that froze time, one that unfroze time, one that lifted a person in the air, one that froze your opponent in their tracks, and even one that changed a person's hair. It was several hours later when Lauren finally turned the lamp off and fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Harlem Ghoul-trotters**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

When she woke up in the morning, Lauren slipped her newly acquired spell book into her bag and got dressed. The day flew by really fast and before she knew it, it was the end of the day and time for P.E. Before any of the girls could leave, Lauren stood by the door and said "Come with me to my room for a second. I have something for you five." and without any further bit of explanation, Lauren walked away, and the other ghouls were forced to follow her. After a couple of minutes, the six of them arrived outside Lauren's room. Without preamble, Lauren burst through her doors and grabbed the five bags worth of clothing she had prepared for them. Handing them to the girls, she explained "In each bag, I've given you is some athletic wear I had to spare. Go change real fast and I'll meet you outside by the front door."

Lauren shut the door in their faces as they turned to go to their rooms and change. She put on a running tank that said 'Sweat Like a Sinner in Church', a pair of running shorts, and purple tennis shoes. She ran upstairs, her duffle bag bouncing on her shoulder, and the basketballs inside the bag were rolling all over the place. Lauren barged into the ballet room, pushed open the door, grabbed the makeshift basketball goal, and walked back out the door. She slid down the stair banister, stuck the landing, and walked back outside as the other ghouls started filing out beside her.

She found an area by the road that leads to the school where a thirty-foot oak stood in all its majesty. Lauren slid her duffle bag by the foot of the tree, held the goal with both hands, and whistled lightly. As though it were waking, the tree shuddered slightly and lowered a large branch down to the ground. Lauren stood on it and the branch rose until she said "Stop." and it shuddered to a stop. "A little forward, if you please," Lauren asked and the branch moved a foot forward and Lauren was facing the middle of the tree. She pressed the goal against it and the tree warped its form until the goal rested safe and soundly in the trunk. "Down, please," Lauren commanded and the tree gently brought her to the ground and she was able to leap from the branch and land firmly on the ground below to the applause of the ghouls.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Tanis exclaimed.

"Eh, it was nothing," Lauren replied, scooping the blue and red basketball out of her bag and holding it up for them all to see. "This ball is called a basketball and that is called a basketball goal. The object of the game is to try to get the basketball to go through the hoop and score more points than the other team. But because we don't have court lines or enough members for one team, let alone two, we should just play for fun without worrying about keeping track of points. Any questions?"

"Yeah, Lauren, where on earth did you get a basketball goal from? There's not one here at school." Sibella asked, astounded.

"Oh, I found some supplies lying around and so I built one. I was thinking, next week we could take a crack at something different, like soccer or maybe ping pong. I made two soccer goals and a ping pong table last night, along with the basketball goal, so now we have a lot more options than volleyball or running when we have to come to P.E. Are there any more questions?"

"Yeah, how do we play?" Winnie asked.

Lauren cleared them out of the way and said, "You hold the ball up like this, bend your knees, jump, and throw the ball, aiming for the goal." The ball hit the square of the goal, bounced off of it, and sunk into the goal. It hit the ground, bounced three times, and then stopped moving. "See? Easy." Lauren said, picking up the ball and dribbling it around on the ground, she gently passed it over to Tanis.

"C'mon, kid, let's see you sink a goal!" Lauren said encouragingly, standing on the side of the goal. Tanis muscled the ball over her head, jumped as high in the air as possible, and threw the ball. It hit the lip of the goal and bounced off.

Lauren darted forward and caught it in her hands. She then proceeded to walk behind Tanis, slid the ball in the little ghoul's hands, and lined up her arms. "Jump like that again and throw the ball," Lauren said, letting go of her arms and sliding back. Tanis did as was instructed and the ball hit the backboard, spun around the lip of the goal, and finally sank down and into the net, to the applause of everyone. Lauren high fived her and said "Nice job, Tanis! That was really good, seriously." Lauren scooped the ball off the ground and said "Line up, girls! I'll give you some practice with shooting before we take a crack at playing a real game of basketball, street rules."

Lauren passed the ball back over to Tanis as the other ghouls lined up behind her. Tanis shot, it sunk through the goal, and Lauren caught it. "That was great! Now go to the back of the line." Lauren told her before passing the ball over to Elsa, who caught it, jumped, and way over-calculated the throw, sending the ball way over the goal. Lauren ran backward in her attempt to catch the ball and held out her arms as it sailed into them. Then she stopped, repositioned her feet, and dashed back to the girls. She passed the ball back to Elsa and told her "That was a good try but I think your problem may be that you're overthinking it. And throwing too hard, too high. The higher you jump, the lower you throw, okay? Give it another go." Elsa did as she was told and the ball actually hit the backboard but bounced back off. Elsa frowned and her face scrunched up a bit. Lauren handed her the ball and gently said, "Throw a little softer and I'm sure it'll go in." Overall, it took about five minutes, not to mention a good junk of Elsa's self-esteem, but she finally made a basket. "Hey! Look at you!" Lauren congratulated her before passing the ball over to Winnie.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

Lauren woke up as a ray of light squeezed through the gap in the curtains and hit her square in the face. She shut her eyes tighter but when it didn't do anything, she opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She stretched her arms high over her head with a groan before letting them fall in her lap. Rubbing her eyes, she looked over at her nightstand, saw her phone, and picked it up. A green light was emitting from the corner of the screen so she took off her charging case and turned on her phone. Checking her notifications, she saw that she had a text from Marcella. It read

 _Hey, I talked to my parents and told them your school is in the middle of nowhere and it's a miracle you have bars and can mooch wifi off the school beside you but we decided to let you in our Netflix account. We won't charge you anything, I mean eight dollars a month is nothing for us, so I hope you enjoy actually being able to watch TV and movies now!_

The username and password were below. Lauren opened up Netflix and logged in using Marcella's information. It took a second to load but then a little green check mark appeared and an array of the latest shows and movies appeared right in front of her, all for free. Randomly scrolling and stopping, Lauren found an episode of 'The Finder' which made her really excited. She had watched that show all of the time when it had come on tv a couple years ago, but they had canceled it after only one season for some reason but now she had all the episodes right in front of her, and unlike YouTube, it was free, well, for her. She went back to her text messages and sent Marcella a thank you text which she meant very sincerely. She spent the rest of the day binge-watching 'The Finder' and the sun was just setting when Lauren realized she had promised to meet Tug at sunset at the boundary wall.

Lauren leapt up, glad she had at least changed out of her pajamas and into some actual clothing, and began running out of the room when she thought 'Wait a minute, I can teleport.' and she spun in a circle and appeared several feet from the wall just in case Tug was already there, because she didn't want him to know there was anything weird or supernatural about her, which there was plenty of. When she got closer to the wall, she noticed that Tug wasn't there yet.

She casually walked up to the wall and was climbing up when Tug jumped up and yelled "Surprise!"

"Ah!" Lauren cried, completely taken by surprise, and fell five feet down and onto the ground, landing with a dull thud.

Tug lunged over the wall, scraping the skin off his stomach in the process, and landed on the ground beside Lauren, make a slightly louder thud than she did. "Ah!" Tug moaned, instantly regretting his decision.

"Yeah, 'ah!' is right," Lauren told him, attempting to sit up. Her pain was already going away, given that she had unnaturally fast healing powers that could heal a broken bone in less than an hour. Tug, on the other hand, was not blessed with a mother who had a talent for healing grievous wounds, felt as though his back was broken and his stomach was on fire from all the scraping. Lauren sat up and said "Come here. Let me help you lean against the wall."

Tug obliged, crawling over to the wall where Lauren made him turn around so he was laying down. She was about to set him upright, but he snatched her wrist and said, "No, I better not move for a second." In response, Lauren simply shrugged and laid down beside him in the grass. They were both on the Grimwood side, which meant that the grass was very compacted and dead, but Lauren waved her hand when Tug wasn't looking at her and the grass around them instantly rose straight up and turned jade green. It was much softer and Tug let out an appreciative moan, for he was much too out of it to inquire as to how just the grass around them had done so.

Lauren turned to face him, leaning on her elbow, and ran a hand through his hair. Tug relaxed against her touch and smiled, letting his eyes close. Lauren paused for a second. She had never seen a guy sleep before. It was different from watching her friends sleep as she stayed up, waiting for a Nightmare, which was usually Onyx, to show up so she could send a report to her father. Watching Tug sleep made her heart beat a little faster and made the blood rush to the surface of her skin, heating her up and making her feel hotter than usual on the inside. Tug looked different in his sleep. He wasn't trying to be perfect in his sleep. When he was awake, he had perfect posture, perfect conversing skills, perfect stature, he even breathed perfectly. Even his straggly, untidy hair was perfect, to Lauren that is. But in sleep, you could see him actually being his real self. His face relaxed so it was no longer held uncomfortably high in the air, his shoulders sagged back, and his spine gently curved as he rolled over in sleep. Lauren knew he wasn't asleep-asleep, his eyes were simply closed, but there wasn't that much a difference in the appearance of the two. Smiling slightly to herself, Lauren went back to stroking Tug's forehead. The two of them laid there, together, in collective silence, for several minutes as a cool, evening breeze blew over and by them.

Suddenly Tug spoke. He kept his eyes closed, remained still, and spoke very softly, but he spoke. "Lauren," he whispered.

"Yes, Tug?" Lauren replied, also in a whisper. Tug took her hand that was stroking his forehead and held it between his, right over his heart. "What are you doing?" Lauren asked him with a laugh.

"Showing you that you now hold my heart. It is yours to keep or throw away, that's your decision. It is yours now and will only ever be yours." Tug replied, melting Lauren's heart.

"Tug,"

"Shh. I know what you're going to say." Tug whispered, craning his neck in order to kiss Lauren. Lauren clutched his head in her hands, holding their faces closer together. When they pulled apart, Tug gently guided Lauren's head onto his chest, where he laid it. Lauren nestled into it, feeling the warmth radiate from his chest to her face. She could feel his finely toned muscles through his starched and ironed uniform.

Using her index finger, Lauren deftly traced the muscles on his torso and drew little patterns that made him laugh. "Ticklish, are we?" Lauren asked him.

"Just a bit." Tug replied when suddenly, Lauren had sat up and begun working her fingers all over Tug's body, somehow knowing just where to touch to make him double over with laughter. Tug gasped with laughter and thrashed around, trying to wiggle out of the reach of Lauren's lithe fingers but he was no match. Tug may have been strong, but Lauren was close to his strength, and she had the body of a contortionist. She wiggled and manipulated her body just out of Tug's reach every time he tried to restrain her hands. After a moment, Tug's face began changing from the shade of a light tan to crimson red. Not being merciless, Lauren stopped her tickling and backed up two steps to avoid any of Tug's retaliation. Tug sat up and leaned against the concrete wall, breathing heavily, his face still red. After a moment, though, when he had caught his breath, he sat up straighter and said "Man, you got me, Lauren! Well played, well played. I suppose I earned that for scaring you off the wall." Lauren wanted to reply by adding that he not only scared her off, he knocked himself off in the process, but somehow that didn't seem like the right thing to say at the moment. So instead, she crawled back over to him, leaned her head against his sturdy shoulder, and said, "We're square, then." He turned his head so he could kiss her on the forehead and then rested his head on top of Lauren's. They sat in silence as it got darker and darker and the stars began coming out and into view in the heavens above them. Suddenly a shooting star flew across the sky. Tug pointed at it and exclaimed "A shooting star! Quick, Lauren, make a wish!"

Lauren looked from Tug to the star before saying "What I would wish for has already come true." Then she looked back over at Tug who was looking down at her affectionately.

"And what wish is that?" Tug asked her, smiling coyly.

"I can't. If I were to tell you, it wouldn't come true."

"But it already has." Tug argued teasingly.

"I know," Lauren replied, pecking him on the cheek. "I suppose if I were to make a new wish, it would be to stay with you forever."

Tug smiled genuinely down at Lauren and in that moment, he felt like he really knew what the words 'I love you' meant because he loved Lauren so very much. Tug loved everything about her. Tug kissed her yet again on the forehead before saying "But that's realistic. When you make a wish, it's supposed to be for something impossible. I will never cease to love you, making our love never ending, meaning it _will_ last forever. I love you, Lauren."

"I love you more, Tug," Lauren replied, leaning forward and connecting her lips with his. Tug smiled under her lips. If he had to choose his favorite thing about Lauren, at that particular moment, it would be the way she felt under his body, kissing him. She was so soft and warm and Tug never wanted to leave the spot they were in. Not ever. Slowly, the two of them pulled apart from each other and stared one another in the eye. Faces flushed, the lack of oxygen unhelpful, they sat there, holding one another and panting heavily. Finally, when their breath was regained, Lauren and Tug pulled apart and sat up, leaning against the cool stone wall. Looking up at the dark sky, Lauren murmured quietly as to not disturb the peace "We really should get going."

Tug stared up at the sky, too, then. The stars twinkled as they reflected against his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. The Colonel will kill me if he finds me breaking curfew."

"When is curfew for you guys, anyway?"

"Nine o'clock on the dot. Ten o'clock during volleyball season."

"That's generous of him to give you six an extra hour to shower. The lot of you probably smell like pigs after one of his practices." Lauren lovingly teased. Tug snorted loudly before standing up. He extended a hand to Lauren, who took it gladly, and he yanked her up to her feet. "Thanks," Lauren said as Tug began dusting himself off.

Once successfully dusted off, Tug kissed Lauren once more before scaling the wall and hopping over it. "Love you!" he screamed loudly as he runs.

"Love you, too!" Lauren replied just as loudly. She looked down at the grass she had grown and was about to deaden in when she thought 'Why would I do that? Tomorrow when we meet up, we might as well be in the same spot.' And she left it there, a small tribute to her relationship with Tug and like the grass, it was alive and growing and wouldn't stop unless she felt like it making it stop, which would not ever happen.

Smiling, Lauren walked back to the school. It was too nice outside to teleport and she was too happy to be cold or in a hurry so she walked, taking her time, and enjoying the feeling in her chest. Her heartfelt weighted, making its presence known, but it also felt super light, like it was about to shoot out of her chest if it got any lighter. Suddenly, Lauren saw she was ascending the stairs that lead to her room. She had been so lost in her thoughts and daydreaming that she had lost track of her surroundings for several dozen yards. That had never happened before. Lauren shook her head to clear it, placed the heel of hand against her forehead, and smiled. Ever since she had started going out with Tug, she had had moments during the day where she had lost track of time thinking about him, or she would spend time during class, unawares, daydreaming of him. It was good Miss Grimwood thought so highly of Lauren and didn't understand that because Lauren had attended a human school, she had mastered the art of daydreaming during class while looking like she was paying attention, a skill none of the other ghouls had mastered. But this was different. The thought of Tug randomly just entered her mind and she suddenly forgot whatever she had been doing before he appeared in her mind and she became like a zombie, moving without purpose, and when Lauren eventually snapped out of it, she either had no idea where she was, or it took awhile before she realized where she was. She had ended up on the roof, outside on several occasions, in Miss Grimwood's classroom, in the kitchen, in empty bedrooms, and once when she had snapped out of it, she had been just outside Colonel Calloway's school. That had been a bit embarrassing, but on the bright side, no one had seen her; Calloway Cadets nor Grimwood Ghouls.

Lauren haphazardly pushed open the door to her room before absentmindedly pushing it close. She drew the curtains to her room before placing her phone in the charging case and setting it on her nightstand. Then she stripped her clothes, threw them on top of the growing pile inside of her hamper, and pulled on a baggy T-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. Then Lauren walked over to her window and peeked through the curtains, gazing out at the starry sky. There was a star that was much bigger than the ones surrounding it and bright yellow. Lauren squinted up at it and came to the conclusion that it was not a star but actually the planet Venus. Lauren smiled at the sight. In Roman mythology, Venus was what they renamed the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Seeing the planet made Lauren smile because it had to be a good sign for her relationship with Tug. She didn't know whether he would be the guy she ended up with when they both got older, but she didn't see any reason for them to split apart at the moment.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, making her giggle. As a requirement for ninth grade honors English, Lauren and the rest of her class had to read 'Romeo and Juliet', which was arguably the cheesiest romance of all time. Romeo and Juliet had fallen in love with each other at 'first sight' and then at the end of the book, they committed suicide, believing their significant other to be dead, also causing four other deaths in the book and their families lines to end. Lauren and Tug weren't going to commit suicide over each other, but they had the same romance going on, though theirs was much healthier, they weren't going to get married anytime soon, and they most certainly weren't doing any of the after marriage formalities. As Lauren climbed into bed, she murmured dramatically "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" before pulling the covers over her head and falling into a deep sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Dating Advice**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC.

* * *

"Do you think she was kidnapped?" Tanis cried nervously.

Phantasma frowned before replying "Maybe. But then how did she get back?"

"It's possible whoever kidnapped didn't want to keep her," Elsa suggested, unconsciously rubbing one of the bolts protruding from her neck.

"Or maybe she ran away." Winnie pointed out. The ghouls all knew how fast of a runner Lauren was. "She could outrun any werewolf any day."

"But she would have told us someone had kidnapped her when she got back, right?" Tanis asked, tugging on Sibella's dress.

Sibella glanced down at Tanis before gently grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "I don't know. Maybe she passed out."

"Could be." Winnie's eyes widened before she blurted, "Or maybe she's dead! Has anyone checked her pulse?"

This was met with panic. People began screaming. "She's not dead! I can hear her heart beating at its normal rate!" Sibella assuaged their fears with that reassuring comment and the screaming immediately ceased.

"Okay, she's not dead. But where has she been all day?" Winnie inquired frustratedly, rubbing her chin.

"Yeah, we didn't see her leave her room once!" wailed Phantasma.

"Do you think she teleported somewhere?" Elsa sensibly suggested.

There was silence as people pondered this before Tanis suggested, "She may have been with the friends she had at her old school."

"Yeah, she could have totally not been kidnapped!" The mood suddenly went from a sober panic to a delighted optimism.

Lauren, who had been feigning sleep since she first heard her door open, kept her eyes closed, and said, "Sorry to disappoint you all, but the story behind I was yesterday was nowhere near as exciting as you're making it out to be." This shocked them all into silence so Lauren took the opportunity to ask "And what do I owe the pleasure of this early morning wake up call?"

Sibella and Phantasma looked at each other before Sibella said "Uh... it's actually one in the afternoon."

Lauren sat up so fast her head spun and the edges of her vision went black. "O-one in the afternoon!" Lauren put a hand on her head and gasped. "I've never slept in this late before! Not ever! Not even when I went over to a slumber party at my friend's house and we didn't go to bed until four in the morning! This is going to mess up my internal clock!" Instead of asking 'Hey, so what are you all doing around my bed?' she was freaking out about how she could never wake up at six in the morning on her own ever again. The ghouls let her struggle to calm down and when she finally did, she asked, "So... what brings you by?"

"Oh, well, when we didn't see you, you know, at all, yesterday, we decided to stop by your room in the morning and see if you were there. We didn't realize you would still be asleep when we came to check on you so we weren't sure what to do. Winnie suggested staying until you woke up and Tanis started crying. We didn't know what to think. But then, at last, you finally woke up." Sibella explained before a thought struck her and she asked, "So where were you yesterday?"

Lauren couldn't help it as a blush spread across her face, turning it bright scarlet. "Well, my friend Marcella, I've told you about her, gave me her login for Netflix, a wonderful thing that lets you watch all the movies and tv shows you want! And she said her parents wouldn't charge me a fee! So I spent pretty much all of yesterday since the minute I got up watching 'The Finder' because that was one of my favorite shows before it was canceled." Lauren lamented the loss of quality television before adding, "And after that, I visited Tug for an hour."

After saying it out loud, there was no going back. The ghouls jumped onto her bed and all five of them began asking her questions about how it went. Lauren waved her hands around for quiet and when everyone was gasping for air from talking nonstop she said "Ghouls, ghouls, settle down! Settle down!" Lauren gave them all a second to calm down and let the flush run out of their faces before she continued. "I will answer all of your questions, just ask them one at a time." She waited for them all to nod in agreement before she started answering all of their questions.

"When did you meet him?" Sibella asked dreamily.

"At sunset." Lauren swiftly replied.

"What did you two do?" Elsa questioned.

Lauren hesitated to answer that one but the looks they were all giving her finally pressured her into telling. "We... we talked. For a bit."

"Is that it?" Phantasma asked with a laugh.

"...Yes." Lauren replied, taking into account both Tanis and Winnie's age and the fact that she didn't feel like sharing the details of her and Tug passionately kissing each other. It just wasn't something a person would bring up in a normal conversation, even if that person was with friends.

"What did you talk about?" Tanis inquired.

Lauren could have hugged her she was so grateful for the subject change. "Oh, just random things. How school was going, how volleyball practice was. That reminds me, did you know that Colonel Calloway was so mad at them for losing the game that they've been having to wake up at five in the morning every day just to practice for next year? He's not giving them any classwork, all their lessons have been canceled until further notice, and all they do is practice volleyball all day, minus times for meals, showers, and fifteen minute breaks every two hours."

The ghouls recoiled in horror at the idea. "No lessons? But Miss Grimwood always moves along every year." Tanis wailed.

"Well, Tanis, that's because Miss Grimwood isn't a deranged psychopath like the Colonel is. She has compassion and sympathy in her heart and knows that even if you lost, it doesn't matter because you tried your very best. Colonel Calloway doesn't think like that. He's military which means he's tough. He doesn't handle weakness well or anyone who shows it. He has chauvinistic ideals about the world and the way things work and if anything goes against his standards, he won't be very happy about it." After that, they ghouls continued asking questions about Lauren's date with Tug. After a moment, Lauren decided to level with them. "Look, I don't know if any of you have ever actually been on a real date before or not, but most of the questions that you're asking don't happen, at least not when you date a human. Your parents may have told you what happened when they courted but what I did last night is different. Winnie; Tug and I did not meet up at sunset so we could howl at the moon. I'm sorry but I think that's just a werewolf thing. And Phantasma, he did not surprise me by playing a composition on the piano. We were outside meaning there would be no piano. He actually surprised me, quite literally, by jumping out at me from behind the wall that separates our school, making me fall flat on my black and knocking the wind out of me."

"What? Well, that wasn't very nice." Winnie remarked.

"He didn't mean to make me fall, he just wanted to scare me. Though he probably shouldn't have waited until I reached the top of a three-foot concrete wall, but then again, I have healing powers so it wasn't that bad after a minute." Lauren laughed before adding "And right after Tug scared me into falling he, too, fell off and landed right beside me. And since he doesn't have healing powers, it became a lot more difficult for him to move but he hadn't broken his back, ribs, or any other bone so I just told him to just lay still. All he did the entire time was lay on the ground, I laid beside him, and we talked. For about two hours, but it was just talking, for the most part." Finished, Lauren leaned back against the headboard of her bed and looked at all of the ghouls with a smile playing on her lips. She still wasn't going to tell them about the kiss. Maybe Sibella if she asked her when there wasn't an audience, but that was only because the vampiress was old enough to know what a kiss was and was already thirteen, making her the oldest of the ghouls apart from Lauren. Lauren loved Tug and could kiss him all day long if she was given the opportunity, but she felt it would be an uncomfortable situation to place herself in if she were to let anyone other than Tug himself know that, making it a big 'if' indeed. Suddenly, a thought came to Lauren. "How long have you been in my room? Not that I'm kicking you out, but I'd feel especially stupid if I knew you had been in here for a long time."

"Ah, don't worry. We haven't been in here all day if that's what you're worried about. We've probably only been in here for an hour, counting the past half an hour we've spent talking to you."

Lauren, feeling relieved, replied "Well that's good. I still feel really bad about how I scared you five yesterday. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you ghouls?" When none of them responded, Lauren, teleported. Landing on her feet, she stumbled a bit before walking over to the counter. "Three pizzas with everything on them except garlic would be great please." The woman at the register nodded, not seeming to notice that Lauren wasn't wearing shoes or a bra and that her hair looked like a birds nest. Lauren dug some coins out of her pocket and counted them out. She had six Transylvanian dollars, which should definitely be enough for three pizzas. As the pizzas were being made, Lauren looked in a napkin container, eyeing her appearance and whispered "Beware, forswear. Replace tangled hair with smooth hair." She watched as her hair untangled and straightened. Smiling, Lauren sighed with content. She was just straightening up when the three pizzas were laid on the counter.

"That'll be four Transylvanian dollars." the woman said, taking no notice at Lauren's change in appearance.

Lauren laid four coins on the counter, shoved the remaining two in her pocket, and pulled the pizzas off the counter. Smirking a bit at herself, Lauren teleported back to the school. When she was back inside her room, Lauren took note of how all the ghouls were still there. That was good. She set the pizzas on her dresser, grabbing a sports bra while she was at it, stuffed it under her shirt, and said "Dig in! I'll be right back." She hooked her phone up to a speaker and played some music as the ghouls walked over to the pizzas. Lauren left the room, shut the door, and put her sports bra on. Then she walked back inside to the sight of the ghouls eating pizza and lounging around the room. Lauren walked over, stuffed her feet into a pair of flip-flops, and snatched a piece out of the box.

"Excellent! Just the right amount of spiderwebs!" Phantasma sighed contentedly.

"And the snails are extra tangy," Elsa added, peeling one off of her pizza slice and throwing it in her mouth.

"Thanks, Lauren!" Tanis said as Lauren walked over and sat beside her.

"You deserved it. After all, speculating as to how I was kidnapped must have worked up a fierce appetite I bet."

Tanis laughed before hugging Lauren tightly around the waist. Lauren hugged Tanis back as Tanis said "I was so worried. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Oh, Tanis, you didn't need to be worried about me. I'm perfectly fine, see?" Lauren replied, wanting to assuage her fears.

"I know, but I was still worried about you." Tanis murmured quietly. "I thought your daddy might have come in during the night and taken you away again."

Lauren's face froze. She knew Tanis was very young causing her to have an overactive imagination, but even that was extreme. Her face thawing, Lauren patted Tanis on the head and said "Listen, Tanis, my father may have overreacted quite a bit when he visited last, but he's visited me several times since then to apologize. And even if he gets pissed at me, he still has to love me, regardless, because he is my father after all. And you haven't had a single nightmare in two weeks, have you?"

"No," Tanis replied sheepishly.

Lauren knelt down beside Tanis and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Tanis, it was very sweet of you to think it had been my father because of what he did but we're good now. Plus, if he ever tries it again, he's going to find it much harder to do away with me. But no, we talked it out and he promised to never to that ever again."

Tanis nodded and then giggled. Lauren wondered what was so funny so she asked, "Tanis, what are you laughing about, sweetie?"

"I was just wondering if you were going on another date with Tug tonight?"

Lauren smiled and laughed right along with her. "Mmm, maybe. We didn't say when the next one would be so I don't know if I'll even bother by heading over to check."

"How would you two know where to meet at?" Winnie probed.

"Our spot has something special about it. Like, you would just know that's our spot just by looking at it." The ghouls all sighed, not realizing Lauren meant it quite literally. You would know that was her and Tug's spot because the grass wasn't dead there. It was actually green and rich and full of life. But the ghouls thought she meant it figuratively.

"Oh, how romantic!" Sibella sighed contentedly. "The way you two love each other so much you have a spot all to your own that you can tell is yours just by looking at it."

"Yeah, we're just crazy for each other," Lauren replied playfully, finishing off a piece of pizza. She grabbed another one and looked down at it. Years of eating school food and the food her friend's parents had all prepared for them had caused her taste buds to accept them, but that wasn't natural for ghouls or monsters in general. The types of foods her body was made for eating weren't things her old friends or Tug could eat. Nor would they want to eat anything she was made to eat. This caused Lauren to realize how different the two of them actually were. Lauren was half Mother Nature, half boogeyman, or whatever her father was. She was half monster, half whatever her mother was. Tug was one hundred percent human. Because she was half monster, Lauren loved things rotten and dead but because of her mother, she could also make things alive and grow. She could act like a human if she kept the monster part buried deep, deep down inside her. Tug didn't need to worry about having to hide the fact that he loved to eat rotten vegetables and raw invertebrates. He wouldn't come within ten feet of either, and that was being generous. And one of the bigger things that set them apart was that Lauren could do magic. She could do spells, not that she would ever use them for evil, but she could still work magic. She could teleport from one place to another and control Nightmares. If Tug knew that Lauren's father was the reason he had been plagued by Nightmares, he would never speak to her again, let alone want to hug or kiss her. And it would hurt Lauren even more if he held her accountable because of her control over the Nightmares. Frowning into the pizza slice, Lauren actually considered breaking up with Tug for the first time since they had become a couple. It was good they didn't have everything in common but they were nothing alike. They were both fifteen, both blonde, both had blue eyes, and were both tan, but that was where the similarities stopped.

"Lauren? Lauren? Hello? Is anyone there?" Phantasma asked, snapping her phantom fingers in Lauren's face. Lauren's eyes became unfazed as she looked up and at Phantasma. Upon seeing this, Phantasma smiled and asked, "Like I was saying, what made you and Tug start liking each other?"

Lauren frowned. That wasn't a conversation she was wanting to continue. After letting out an exasperated sigh, Lauren replied "I... I don't know. We sort of just fell into each other's laps so to speak. Not literally!" She

cried, seeing the looks on the ghoul's faces. "We didn't actually fall into each other's laps. We had a lot of classes together, were partnered up for a lot of projects, and spent so much time together that we became friends. I suppose Tug began liking me sometime after that. And when he asked me out, I realized I had liked him as well, but I hadn't realized it until then."

"Do you think he may be... the one?" asked Winnie.

"Er..." Lauren didn't know how to properly answer that question without shattering their hearts. Finally, she heaved a sigh and said, "Probably... not." The girl's faces that had risen with excitement fell with heavy sadness.

"Why not?" asked Elsa.

"Yeah, why? He's dreamy." Tanis added, spinning in a circle. Lauren laughed, bringing her knees under her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"You don't date a guy just because he's 'dreamy'. Don't get me wrong, that's a nice touch, him being good looking and all, but that's not a good basis for a relationship." Shaking her head, Lauren said "No, a relationship is built on common interests and trust, understanding, and compassion. You have to listen to one another, be there for one another, love the person as you much as you love yourself. It's supposed to be the best thing in your life, something you would do anything to keep the way it is." The ghouls sighed in unison at the beauty of Lauren's speech.

Then Sibella shook her head and asked "So why would Tug _not_ be the one for you? You obviously have all of what you described and more! You two are fangtastic together! Your love is so real!"

Lauren smiled sadly at Sibella and explained "Sibella, what Tug and I have... it's what most people would call a 'high school romance' because we're in high school and together but those things hardly ever last. They're what happens when two high schoolers 'fall in love' and think they'll end up together… that is, until graduation."

"What does graduation have to do with it?" Sibella asked her, scooting beside Lauren.

"Well, when a person graduates, most of them go to what we call in the human world 'college'. Now before you ask what college is, I'll explain it to you. College is a type of institution where high school graduates go to get further education. There, they earn degrees in a certain job area in order to make themselves more considerable for job opportunities."

One by one, the girls slowly began to nod in understanding. "So college. Right. What does that have to do with your relationship?" Sibella asked.

"Well, when you're in a 'high school romance', it is very rare that the two people ever go to the same college. And long distance relationships never work out."

Sibella sympathetically placed her arm around Lauren and hugged her tight. "Oh, Lauren! I'm so sorry! And to think that you and Tug are just perfect for each other, too!" Suddenly, Sibella's eyes dried and she exclaimed "Oh, but what if you two do end up going to the same college? Or, hear me out, you go to colleges that are close to each other? Oh, or the two of you could just not go to college!"

Lauren looked up from her knees to face Sibella, a small smile plastered on her face. Placing a hand on Sibella's shoulder, Lauren said "Sibella, I seriously doubt any of those three will happen, like, ever. Tug and I are just too different people. I don't even know if I am going to college, I mean, I have the grades and cash if I did want to go, but if there was ever any blood testing or what not, only God knows what would come up in it. And I don't think it would be fair if I were to get a scholarship based on sports because high school sports and college sports are very different as far as my morals on using my powers go. Besides, who needs college? My place is here, with you ghouls. Who knows? Maybe Miss Grimwood will let me stay on as the gym teacher. I'd more than happily do it for free, after all, I'm set for life. That's where the end of the romance I was talking about kicks in. Tug will want to go to college. There's no way that he would want to stay at Calloway with the Colonel because that place has too many bad memories for him. It's daily torture for the boys there. And there's no way he'd get a job here. Not to mention, there's not a single college within a hundred miles from here. Besides, Tug doesn't need me in his life when he gets older. He'll want a family and children and all those human things. As to that, well, he wouldn't want a freak for a wife. And what the children would end up being like, I can only fathom."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you talking about, you being a freak?"

"What about it? I am a freak. I have a monster for a father and, er, I'm not exactly sure what my mother was, but she wasn't human either. But if you combine the DNA of a monster with that of an... I'll go with unknown, you don't exactly get something normal. And to mix that with the DNA of a human, the child would obviously be shunned by both humans and monsters. Or at least by humans because he or she would look like a freak, would look like its mother. And then where would that leave me and Tug? He wouldn't want to keep the equivalent of a mutant in his home. And he certainly wouldn't want to keep me around, either, knowing me to be the cause of his child looking the way she or he did. He would be ashamed of me." Lauren concluded, leaning her forehead against her knees.

Sibella put a finger under Lauren's chin and lifted her head up so that the two ghouls were looking each other in the eye. Once they were at eye level, Sibella placed a hand on each of her shoulders before saying "Lauren, you are not a freak just because of who your parents were. I mean, you don't think any of us are freaks, do you?"

"No! Of course not! You... you can't say that about yourself, Sibella because you are _not_ a freak!"

Sibella smirked, then, and replied "Well, neither are you. And if Tug has the nerve to even think of you as a freak, then girlfriend, he is not worth your time."

Lauren tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, blushed, and asked "Really? You think so?"

Sibella smiled then, relaxed, and said "Lauren, I don't think so, I know so. You are a strong, independent woman who doesn't need to change herself in order to please or get a man."

"Thanks, Sibella," Lauren said when Sibella was finished talking, throwing her arms around the vampiress's neck and pulling her into a tight hug.

Sibella embraced her tightly. When they pulled apart, Sibella said, "Why don't you clean up a bit, change clothes, and march down to Colonel Calloway's school and show Tug what he would be missing out on if he ever decided you were a freak?" When she saw the look on Lauren's face, Sibella laughed before saying in a softer voice "Tug is a good guy. I knew it the instant I saw him look at you. He loves you for who you are and that is never going to change. Look, why don't you go visit him and talk this out? Beating yourself up over a bunch of 'what ifs' isn't going to make you feel any better."

"You know what? I'll do it. I'm going to get ready right now and go talk to him."

"That's the spirit. Now come on ghouls, let's give our girl some space." They filed out, Lauren shoving the remaining box of pizza out with them before she changed out of her pajamas and into something that she knew would knock Tug's socks off.

Doing right by Sibella, Lauren changed into a short red dress with a slit going up one leg and a brown pair of sandals. She parted her hair down the side and took part of her hair and began french braiding it and bobby pinning just behind her ear. As to not ruin her outfit, Lauren teleported over to the Calloway's school and knocked on the door without thinking about who would be answering the door.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Talk**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lauren leaned against the door frame just as the door was pulled open by Colonel. "Oh! Er, hello... young lady. Is there, er, anything I can help you with?"

Lauren smirked at him beating her fingernails against the wooden frame. Tck, tck, tck. "I'm here to see Tug if that's okay?" She bit her lip unconsciously, nervously anticipating the Colonel's decision.

The Colonel pulled on the edge of his collar before replying "Er, right. Right away. I'll get him, I mean."

The Colonel walked away, quickly, as Lauren silently laughed. She had not been expecting him to comply with her wish that easily.

Shortly, Tug appeared, without the Colonel this time, and he stopped in his tracks at the sight of her. "Like what you see?" Lauren asked, grabbed a small piece of her dress and swishing it around, laughing.

Tug walked up to her, took her arm, and said, "Yes, yes I do." He smiled down at her as Lauren snuggled her head against his chest. Before Lauren could talk about what she wanted to talk about, Tug pulled her closer and asked, "Do you wanna get out of here?"

"Sure," Lauren replied, a little downcast. They walked several dozen yards away and Tug showed Lauren a little stone bench, hidden in a grove of trees. Lauren and Tug sat down, leaning against each other.

Lauren opened her mouth to begin talking to Tug when he said, "So what brings you by?"

Lauren sighed with relief, she was finally getting to talk. It made her nervous, what she was about to bring up, but it needed to be. "Well, I wanted to talk to you."

Tug smiled and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Lauren sighed softly before saying "I wanted to talk about us."

"Ah, my favorite subject." Tug replied with a grin. He took his hat off, ran a hand through his hair, and asked "So what part of us do you want to talk about? And why are just dressed up so ravishing?"

Lauren smiled coyly and replied "The occasion is you. I dressed up to talk to you." "And as for us?" Lauren looked away from Tug, then, and spoke, looking at his kneecap. "That's just the thing-"

"Wait, you're not breaking up with me, are you?" Tug asked, his face falling.

Lauren's eyes immediately went from looking at his kneecap to looking in his eyes. "No! Of course, I'm not!"

Tug's eyes lit up and he smiled. "Ah, good. It would have been a real shame to see you this lovely and yet not be allowed to kiss you."

Lauren's eyes fell yet again to Tug's kneecap as she spoke. "Tug, I wanted to talk about the future us."

"Well, I'm quite certain they'll be just as in love as we are."

"How can you be certain of that? You're going to want to go to college and-"

"Hey, hey! My place is with you, for now, and always."

"No! You have to go to college! You're so smart, Tug! You could go to any college you wanted to. They would fight amongst themselves to have you attend."

"Even if I wanted to, even if I could bear to leave you, there's no way I can afford college. I've already talked it out with my folks. My dad has me a job at his shop and if you wanted, you could work there with me and... what are you doing?" Tug stopped, watching Lauren rig through her purse. She pulled out a small velvet pouch with a gold drawstring thread. She thrust it into Tug's hands. "What is it?" he asked, opening it up. Inside were dozens of gold and silver coins. "No, I can't accept this. It's too much."

Tug tried to hand it back to Lauren but she wouldn't accept it. "Now you can pay to go to college. I'm not taking that money back so at least spend it the way I'm asking you to."

"Lauren... this is a lot of money. And what about you? I want you to go to college as well."

Lauren smiled at him, then. "I'm not going to college, Tug."

"Why not? You're smarter than I am by a long shot! You were the smartest person in our grade last year! You could get a free ride anywhere in the country! You could get a free ride anywhere in the world! It would be stupid of you not to go!"

Lauren's smile vanished in an instant. Her eyes hardened into a glare. "It's my decision not to go if I don't want to!" Lauren snapped at him.

"Yeah, well it's my decision not to go either so take your money back already!" Tug yelled, throwing the bag at her.

"I'm not taking it back! You need to go! You must have a good future!"

"But what about your future? I want you to have a good future, too!"

"I don't have a future!" Lauren screamed at him.

Tug's face softened and he reached out, pulling Lauren into his lap as she cried out "Ah!" in surprise. Once Lauren was in his lap, Tug asked her "What are you talking about? Of course, you have a future! You're going to go to college, get a great job, marry someone, and have lots of children!"

Lauren laughed before saying "Ha! That's your future, not mine! You're human, Tug, and being human means you have all of those things."

"But Lauren, you're human, too!"

Lauren groaned, leaning her forehead against his shoulder. This was not a twist she had expected the conversation to go in.

"Lauren? Are you okay?" Tug asked, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... been a long day for me is all."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you." Tug told her, kissing her on the forehead.

"I'm sorry, too!" Lauren cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Then let's forget about it." Tug replied with a smile, kissing Lauren on the lips. Lauren kissed him back, smiling under his lips. They pulled apart and smiled at each other, leaning their foreheads against one another's. "Let's pretend the last twenty minutes never happened." Tug murmured against her mouth.

"Done and done." Lauren murmured back against his lips.

Tug smiled against her mouth before kissing Lauren yet again. Lauren moved her hands from being clasped around Tug's neck to knotting themselves in his hair. Tug wrapped his arms around her waist, pushing against the silky satiny material of Lauren's dress. He gently laid her down on the bench and laid down on top of her. Their bodies molded perfectly together, like two puzzle pieces that were meant to connect with one another. "I love you, Lauren. I love you so much. And we will stay together. The future won't change things. I can't imagine a world without you in my life. And if you don't want to go to college, don't think you'd be holding me back, but I wouldn't be going, either, because you are my life now."

"Tug, you don't have to do all of this for me, you know."

"I do know, but I want to. I would be miserable in college if I didn't have you there with me."

"But-" Lauren began but Tug interrupted her.

"Lauren. I love you. That may sound cheesy or overrated, but it is the truth. I love you and I can't imagine a day in my life when I don't have you by my side. I feel like singing your name to the heavens and letting the whole world know that I am in love with you!"

Lauren shook her head before smiling up at him. "I'm crazy in love with you, too, I trust you know that?"

"Of course I do!" Tug replied.

"And I love you so much that I couldn't live with myself if I let you miss out on an opportunity to go places in your life."

"The only opportunity I would be missing out on is the opportunity to spend four more years with you."

"I'm being serious, Tug. I don't want you to throw your life away just to spend more time with me!"

Tug took Lauren's hands in his and said "You are my life now, Lauren. I love everything about you and I don't want to spend a single day of my life without you. I made my decision a long time ago when I first realized I loved you. If you weren't going with me, then I wasn't going and that's the end of the discussion." And with that, he kissed Lauren yet again, dipping her downward and wrapping his arms around her waist to support her weight and keep her from falling off of the bench.

When they pulled apart, Lauren said, "Well, if you're sure."

"I've never been surer of anything in my entire life."

"That's a whole fifteen years! You must feel pretty proud!" Lauren quipped sarcastically at him.

Tug nuzzled her nose before saying "You are definitely worth sticking around with, baby." Tug told her, smiling affectionately down at her.

Lauren smiled, equally affectionately up at him. "You're my life, too, Tug. I love you! And I am so thankful that we are able to go to schools that are right next to each other, even if I do miss my old friends and classmates. You were most assuredly worth the move."

Tug smirked then, and replied, "You bet your probably very expensive dress I was."

Lauren gave him a look and Tug replied with a smoldering expression and pouted. This successfully broke the glare and Lauren's stone-cold expression. She traded it in for a laugh which she loudly let out. "I'm so lucky to have you as a boyfriend, Tug, especially compared to the other guys that attend your school."

"Again, obviously." Tug replied.

"Don't push it," Lauren said light-heartedly. Tug mock cowered at her, resulting in making the both of them laugh like a pack of hysterical hyenas.

"And you are much better looking than all of the other girls at your school. Better than all of them combined."

Lauren's face fell at his words as she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Just that you're the most beautiful girl in the world. I wasn't making fun of them if that's what you're worried about." Tug replied, fingering a loose lock of her golden hair and tucking it behind her ear. "The girls are great! They seem much more interesting than the guys at my school anyway."

Lauren shook her head before saying "You are unbelievable."

"Unbelievably attractive, unbelievably smart, or unbelievably charming?"

"Close. Unbelievably annoying is more like it."

Tug gaped in mock hurt, placing a hand on his chest for an extra measure. "Well." Tug said with a gasp.

"Kidding! I was just kidding!" Lauren told him with a laugh, hugging him.

Tug hugged her back. "You know, Lauren, the sign of a really great relationship is the occasional fight but I think we've used up that particular playing card."

"I agree. Besides, yelling causes stress which causes premature wrinkles, something I know you wouldn't want."

"You don't seem to realize that you would look beautiful to me no matter what happens."

"Oh, Tug." Lauren sighed happily, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Tug gingerly wrapped an arm around Lauren's shoulders, pulling her body closer to his. "I'm really glad you came by today, Lauren. I've had a really fantastic time." Lauren gave him a look. Tug laughed before saying "I really have. I always look forward to seeing you whenever you decide to stop by."

"And I love stopping by to come and see you. You're my boyfriend, Tug, and I love you."

"I love you, too. Hey, I was thinking, maybe tomorrow I could stop by Miss Grimwood's?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"No, I wouldn't mind. Besides, I think the guys look forward to your visits a little, okay way too much."

"The girls would just love to see you stop by. You, a dashing, good-looking guy with your debonair smile, in a school far away from your own that's full of girls who would have you outnumbered five to one. You'd be defenseless and powerless to stop them." Lauren told him, flashing a smile as she ran a finger down his chest in a seductive manner.

"Eh, you would fight them off for me."

"Yeah, no. There is no way I could take them all on. You would be torn to shreds."

"More of me to love you, then." Tug replied with an easy shrug.

"What am I going to do with you, Tug?" Lauren asked affectionately, running a hand through his silky hair.

"Keep me around forever." Tug replied, grabbing her arms and pulling Lauren closer to his body.

"Like I'm going anywhere else. I love you, Tug." Lauren told him, tapping him on the nose with her index finger. In response to that, Tug lightly tapped Lauren on her nose before pulling her in for another kiss. "Stop! You're making me blush, Tug!" Lauren cried, laughing and throwing her head back with mirth.

"Good." Tug said, stroking her cheek. "You look even more beautiful when you do."

Lauren took Tug's hand away from her face and held it in both of hers. Tug flipped Lauren's hand over, clasped it in his own, and began running his thumb in small circles around and around on her palm. "Do you want to meet up tomorrow?" Tug asked her.

"Yes of course! Maybe we could meet tomorrow before sunset at the boundary wall?" Lauren suggested eagerly.

"I would love nothing more." Tug replied with a smile. Suddenly a trumpet sounded, splitting apart the quiet and causing a large murmuration of birds to shoot out of the trees and fly away, loudly squawking. "That will be the Colonel." Tug said with a sad sigh.

Lauren took his hands in hers and asked, "Does this mean you have to go?"

"Unfortunately." Tug stood up, took Lauren's hand in his, and kissed her softly on the knuckles. "Until tomorrow."

Lauren laughed lightly, smiling, and said, "I love you, Tug."

"I love you more, Lauren." and with that he left, running towards his school, securing his hat back on his head.

Lauren watched him run off until Tug had fully disappeared from sight. Lauren stood up, dusted the back of her dress off, and began walking back to her school. She could have teleported, but it was such a nice day out and she was just glowing with happiness that she decided to walk. "I'm glad I wore these sandals instead of those high heels." Lauren murmured as she climbed up the concrete wall.

Once at the top of the wall, she took one large step and propelled herself forward, jumping from the wall. She flew a couple of feet in the air before slowly descending to the ground. After she had landed securely on the ground, Lauren gave her head a little shake before walking onward, back toward her school. She had a sneaky suspicion that the ghouls would be awaiting her arrival either in her room or at the front of the foyer. It was the latter of the two choices that the other ghouls had chosen to go with. Lauren hadn't even fully walked through the door of the school when Lauren was bombarded by the ghouls. They pulled Lauren into the foyer and encircled her.

Sibella took a bit of the material from Lauren's dress in her hands and her eyes bulged out of her head. "This dress looks fangtastic! I bet Tug was head over heels for you, I mean, you look to die for! So how did it go with Tug anyway?"

Lauren giggled excitedly in response, took Sibella's hands in her own, spun her around, and exclaimed "Oh, it was such a magical day! We talked for-" Lauren stopped and checked her watch before continuing. "We talked for over an hour!"

"And did you talk about the... you know, the issues you were talking about early today?" Winnie prompted concernedly.

"Yeah, we talked about it at first, but it didn't take that long before we had it all nice and settled. Then we simply just talked the rest of the time."

"You didn't tell him about your parentage, did you? I remember you saying you wouldn't." Elsa asked worriedly.

"No, I let a bit slip in frustration, but fortunately for me, he didn't catch on. I love that boy, but sometimes he can be a bit of an idiot. A very loveable idiot, but an idiot nonetheless." Lauren replied, affectionately.

"And when are you meeting him again?" Tanis asked wistfully.

"Tomorrow night, if we don't have any other plans."

"Why would he have any plans that don't revolve around you? You're the best thing that's ever happened to him!" Phantasma snapped.

Lauren chuckled at them before saying "He has a life outside of our relationship, you guys know."

"Yeah, a boring one!" Winnie put in.

"Seriously, you're his girlfriend, he's supposed to spend every waking second either with you or thinking of you," Sibella added, crossing her arms.

Lauren eyed them before laughing and saying "That's not quite how relationships work but okay then. Believe what you want but still, you don't see me spending every second of every day thinking of Tug or spending every second of every day spending time with Tug, do you?"

"No, but that's because you are the girlfriend. You are not the one who has to do all of the thinking of and spending time with. That's his job. Your job, on the other hand, is to be so irresistibly attractive that Tug will never stop thinking of you, even if a model were to walk by him." Tanis explained smartly.

"Er... actually, the job of a girlfriend is to be there for her boyfriend whenever he needs her. And the same thing goes for the boyfriend. In the job being a girl, or boy, friend, the person must listen to the other, care when they've had their feelings upset, show compassion, be understanding, even of the little things that seem trivial at the moment. You need to be their best friend, their sole confidant, their shoulder to lean on in hard times or to cry on with no regard for the salty tears they may get on your clothing, even if it happens to be your absolute favorite because you love him and want him to be happy. You would do anything for him to make him happy. It's not just about looks and high levels of attractiveness, you know." Lauren turned her head back over to the ghouls who were all looking at her with various degrees of sappiness.

"Oh, that was just beautiful, Lauren! You have such a way with words!" Sibella cried, wiping her eyes with her hair.

"Yeah, I wish I had a boyfriend!" Phantasma wailed.

Lauren smiled sympathetically before replying "Oh, don't worry. I am absolutely positive that eventually each and every one of you will have a boyfriend. You're intelligent, beautiful, not to mention all of the other stuff I've mentioned during the past ten minutes."

"Thanks, Lauren."

"Yeah, you always know what to say to make us feel better!"

"Aw, well, it's the truth. Nothing is too good for my sister ghouls." This was met with a group hug between Lauren, Sibella, Tanis, Phantasma, Winnie, and Elsa. After a minute, the hug ended and they all fell away from each other.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The Well That Ran Dry**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

"So what's it like being a vampire?" Lauren asked Sibella. All the ghouls had gathered in Lauren's room and were busy talking to each other. It was snowing outside and Lauren had added extra pillows and blankets to her bed. Pointing her finger at the fireplace, it was suddenly set ablaze, the room now lit by a roaring fire.

Sibella laughed before replying "I'll need you to be more specific than that, Lauren. What aspect of my vampireness were you wondering about, exactly?"

Lauren pondered this for a moment before replying "Well, I have a lot of stereotypical questions about being a vampire to ask you about if that's okay?"

"Let's hear them." Sibella granted.

"I know that you can stand sunlight, see your reflection in the mirror, hate the taste of garlic even though it won't kill you, and a stake to the heart would do you in, like it would anyone else, so my first question concerns water and is a two-parter. First, can you cross running water, and second, does holy water burn you?"

Sibella rolled her arms before sighing exasperatedly. "Ugh, humans and their utterly idiotic beliefs. Vampires can cross running water which doesn't kill us on impact because most vampires, like most humans, are pure and good. Secondly, holy water will do about as much damage to my skin as it would yours. It may have anti-evil powers, but I'm not evil. If it won't kill serial killers, it's not killing me."

Lauren nodded taking it all in, before saying "Okay, okay. I'd never accuse you of being evil or impure but that's a stereotype for you. But I do have one more burning question if you don't mind my asking one more time?"

"Go ahead," Sibella said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Okay, so what's the deal with vampires and blood?" Lauren asked her, holding a pillow to her body.

Sibella sighed before saying "I'm surprised you haven't asked earlier. First of all, only the sick and deranged take the blood of humans, just like only the sick and deranged humans kill their own kind. They're where our bad rapt comes from, sneaking into homes and draining helpless victims of their blood. The rest of us vampires take a blood substitute that sustains us for a fair period of time. It's animal blood from slaughterhouses. Those are usually run by vampires who kill the animals for their blood. In order to legally be able to accomplish this and not be foreclosed by your human government, we get permits from the FDA and ship the meat to warehouses. It's completely humane, the way my kind does it. Human slaughterhouses are much more brutal and disgusting."

Lauren blushed for a moment before asking "Okay, so I lied. I have more questions. How long can you go without blood? What happens if you don't get any blood past the time you're due for some, and could regular food be a blood substitute?"

Sibella pondered the questions for a moment before replying "I can go two weeks without blood, a month at best, if I don't receive any for an extended period after that then I'll die after some period of time so I usually drink my fill when it gets near the end of each month, and no, regular food cannot be used as a substitute, even though it is rather delicious. Any more burning questions?" Sibella asked with a laugh.

Lauren thought about it, but her curiosity had run dry. She shook her head. "No, I don't have anymore. The well's run dry," she replied, tapping herself lightly on the head for emphasis.

This caused laughter all around before Sibella replied "That well will never run dry. The day it does is the day we're all dating the cadets!"

Lauren rolled her eyes and said "They're not so bad, well, okay, Tug isn't so bad. They don't bite." she added the last bit facetiously, but was met with blank stares. "I was being sarcastic," Lauren explained. This response thawed the confused expressions out and comprehension dawned.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Job Description**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lauren had traded her sweater and jeans for a pair of thick pajamas and fuzzy socks and had gone to sleep several hours ago. At midnight, a dark, shrouded figure appeared in her room and sat on the bench of her vanity, remaining there until sleep left her body and light filtered into her room. Lauren sat up and stretched, the blankets slinking off of her body, and her hair in a frowzy mess. She was in the process of yawning when her face froze for a second before she said, "Morning, father."

"Good morning, Lauren, love," Pitch replied with a smile.

Lauren's hair began straightening itself as they talked. After a moment, she said "Thanks for stopping by."

Pitch shook his head with a small laugh. "I didn't stop by just to exchange pleasantries with you. It's not every day that your daughter turns sixteen. I came by to give you this." He pulled a package out of his coat and handed it to Lauren who accepted it.

"What is it?" she asked him inquisitively.

Pitch laughed before answering, "I'm not telling you. You'll have to open it yourself. Though I'm positive you'll love it."

Without hesitation, Lauren ripped into the paper, pulling out seven books. "What are these?" she asked, examining them. Upon seeing the titles, she let out a squeal. They were all by J.K. Rowling, and all of the titles began with 'The Marauders' "How is this even bloody possible?!" Lauren asked with a squeal.

Pitch shrugged, a smile blossoming on his lips. "Let's just say I may or may not have been slipping into her bedroom since you first read Harry Potter and I may or may not have put a spell on her to write a series based on the Marauders since I know they were your favorite." Lauren let the books tumble onto her bed and she hugged her father tightly. After a moment, Pitch said, "I must be going, but I'll be back shortly."

"Okay, goodbye father. I love you." Lauren replied as Pitch slipped into the shadows. She turned around, picked up the books, and stacked them in chronological order on her dresser, slipping a bookmark in the first one. She couldn't wait to read them. Slipping out of her pajamas, Lauren pulled on a sweater, jeans, and boots before making up her bed. Suddenly there was a knock on her door. "Yes?" she called.

"Lauren, there are some packages in the foyer for you." Miss Grimwood replied through the door.

"Okay! Thank you, Miss Grimwood!" Lauren exclaimed as she approached the door.

Miss Grimwood smiled and replied, "Oh no problem, dearie! And happy birthday!"

Lauren smiled, opened the door, hugged the woman, said "Thank you!" yet again, and rushed down the stairs, sliding down the railing. In the middle of the floor were piles of boxes and a stack of envelopes. Pointing her hand at them, Lauren muttered an incantation to make them float, which they did, and she propelled them into her room.

Once they were lying on her bed, Lauren quickly tore open the envelopes, to find cards and cash, both of which were greatly appreciated, from all of her friends. In the boxes were lotion, earrings, necklaces, perfume, shirts, and dresses. Cutting the tag off of a mint green Simply Southern shirt covered in bows, Lauren took off her blue and white sweater and put the shirt on its place. She also put on some of the Cashmere Glow lotion she had just acquired before putting it all up. Smiling in her boots, jeans, Simply Southern shirt, and curly hair, Lauren teleported over to the cadet's school and knocked on the door.

For the first time in her ever knocking on that door, it was Tug opening it instead of the Colonel. Upon seeing Lauren, he hugged her, pecked her on the lips, and said "Happy birthday. Now c'mon inside before you freeze. Oh, and I got you something."

Lauren smiled, glowing at the very thought of Tug. He spoiled her. "You didn't have to get me anything."

Tug interlaced his hand with hers as he replied "Uh, yes I did. I'm the boyfriend. Getting you gifts is part of the job description."

"Oh really? What's part of my job description then?" Lauren inquired curiously.

"Being beautiful and incredibly smart and athletic and funny and amazing and the best girlfriend ever. But you do that already so... you know," he replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders, wrapping his arms around Lauren's waist.

Lauren smiled and turned her head so that she was looking him in the eyes before saying "Please. Everyone knows you're the best boyfriend in the world."

"Mmhmm. And that's why our relationship works. Anyway, shut your baby blues for uno momento so I can grab your presento." Lauren laughed at Tug's feeble Spanish but obliged his request anyway. Shutting her eyes, Lauren crossed her arms and waited. After a minute, she felt Tug grab her wrist and wrap something cold around it. Opening her eyes, she saw a slim, silver chain with several charms hanging off of it.

Lauren placed her hand against her mouth and gasped. "Oh, Tug, it's beautiful!"

"I thought you'd like it. It's a charm bracelet of our best moments together. This one," he said pointing at the heart, "Signifies the day we began dating, I even had the date inscribed on the back. And this one, the volleyball, is from me seeing you for the first time since you moved. The arrow is from the first movie we saw together as 'friends', the Hunger Games. The roller skate from when we and the rest of our friends went to the roller rink."

"That was so bad! I fell at least four times." Lauren replied with a blush.

"And still managed to look as hot as ever. Anyway, then there are some random ones; an anchor, a cross, and a tennis racket and ball. I thought you'd like those."

"I love them, Tug! This is the sweetest thing you could have gotten me." Lauren replied, clutching the charm bracelet to her heart.

Tug wrapped it around her wrist before securing the clasps. "Oh, that's not all." He informed her with a smile.

Lauren pouted. "Tug you've already done more than enough for me."

"Lauren, this one is more for my sake than yours." Tug reassured her, holding out a small box to her.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Lauren took the box from Tug's extended hand. She opened it to reveal a bright red pocket knife resting on a piece of pearly white foam. "A knife?"

"For your safety. I will never forget when that creep Revolta kidnapped you along with the other girls that go to your school. If something like that were to ever happen again, I would feel a lot better knowing you had something to defend yourself with." Tug explained in a serious tone. Lauren took the knife out of the box and slid it into her front pocket before hugging Tug. It was so sweet of him to want to make sure that she was safe. After a while, the two pulled apart and Tug put the now empty box back in his pocket. "I have one last gift for you."

"Tug, I can't! You've already-" Lauren began.

Tug quickly interrupted. "Shh. This one was free. Happy?"

"Very," Lauren replied, allowing him to tug her away.

He walked her to the door, and the two went out it, and into the biting wind. Tug wrapped his arms around Lauren to provide her warmth but she was producing her own heat, warming herself and Tug. He stopped several hundred yards away from the school, right in front of a little greenhouse. He got the door and held it open for Lauren who stepped in. "It's heated during the winter, so I thought we could celebrate your birthday in here."

"Sounds like a plan." Lauren eagerly agreed, following him. Tug led her past the fruits and vegetables and they ended up in the back, where a bunch of flowers was being grown. And in the center was a picnic blanket covered in foods and lit candles. "Tug, you're killing me here," Lauren said as he took her hand and lead her over to the blanket. They sat down as Tug picked up a strawberry and popped it in his mouth. Once he'd done that, he pulled out two champagne glasses. "Tug, it's my sixteenth birthday, not my twenty-first."

Tug gave her a simpering look before replying, "I'm not that irresponsible of a boyfriend." With a flourish, he produced a bottle of sparkling grape juice. He popped the lid off and filled their glasses before setting the bottle aside and raising his glass. Lauren raised her glass as well. "To your birthday, and may there be many more." They clinked their glasses together before each taking a sip of the juice. They began to eat and talk, Lauren, taking several pictures to later post on the internet and show the world her most amazing boyfriend. "So I'm dating an older woman. Nice." Tug said, swirling the contents of his glass around.

"I suppose that makes me a cougar," Lauren replied, swirling her glass as well.

"I do believe it does." Tug replied with a wink. "But I don't mind because you are the foxiest cougar I've ever seen."

Lauren laughed, draining the juice. Tug pulled out the bottle, refilled hers, and topped his off before putting the bottle away again. Lauren put another strawberry in her mouth and thought for a moment before saying

"Thank you for putting this together, Tug. It was really sweet of you to do all of this for me."

"Hey, you're my girlfriend and I owe it to you to make sure you have a great birthday. Especially when it's your sweet sixteen. And there's not a single person I know who deserves a better birthday than you, Lauren. I love you." Tug told her matter-of-factly.

"I love you, more, Tug. You are such a fantastic boyfriend, and you do so much for me. I swear I don't deserve you." Lauren told him with a slight frown.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course, you do." And with that, Tug leaned in and planted his lips against Lauren's. The kiss was sweet and simple, just their lips touching. After a beat, the two split apart and smiled at each other.

When they had polished off all of the food and sparkling grape juice, Tug packed up the picnic, blew out the candles, and escorted Lauren out of the greenhouse. Lauren walked him back to the school, keeping him warm by radiating heat as they did so. They parted in the doorway, sharing one last kiss before Tug walked inside and Lauren walked back to her school. She didn't mind the cold and hopped over the wall separating the two schools when a voice called out "Hey, you wanna wait a minute!"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Failed Recruitment**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lauren spun on the spot, looking for the source of the sound. "In the tree." the voice added.

Lauren scanned the nearby trees when she saw a hooded figure with a staff balancing on one of the branches. She strode over to him and stopped when she was at the base of the tree. "Yes?" she asked him. The figure yanked off his hood in reply, shaking his shaggy hair out of his eyes. "Do I know you?" Lauren asked him.

"No, but I know you. And your parents." The mystery figure explained.

"Parent." Lauren corrected. "My mother's-"

The mystery figure cut her off. "Dead. Yeah, I know."

"Who are you?" Lauren asked him inquisitively, squinting up at him.

"Jack Frost," he said, spinning his stick unconsciously in his fingers.

Lauren's eyes widened. "The Jack Frost?"

Jack smirked as he replied "The one and only."

"Okay, well then, what are you doing here?" Lauren impatiently questioned.

Jack quit spinning his staff before tapping it against the tree he was in. A beautifully intricate frost design quickly spread across the surface. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd swing by."

"I guessed as much," Lauren said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Are you cold?" Jack asked in a concerned voice.

Lauren smiled slightly. "No, if you knew my mother you'd know that she was Mother Nature. It'll take more than a little wind to get me to be cold."

Jack's face softened and he jumped out of the tree, landing softly in front of her. "Yeah, I knew your mother."

At that, Lauren's curiosity was spiked. "How so?"

Jack looked away then, a look of pain crossing his face. After a moment, his eyes reconnected with Lauren's as he whispered, "We used to date."

"What?" Lauren asked, bewildered.

The pained expression disappeared and was replaced with a cocky grin. "I know what you're thinking. Me, a devastatingly handsome, dashing, charming, devil-may-care guy who is seventeen in appearance, used to date your mom. That's what happens when you're immortal. You never age. Note the devilishly handsome appearance."

"Hate to break it to you, but that is not what I'm thinking. I don't understand the part about you dating my mom." Lauren scoffed, crossing her arms.

Jack scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah. That's a funny story."

"Well, I've got time," Lauren told him.

"Okay, but you asked. So your mom and I used to date, you know. This was decades ago. And this was also when your dad, Pitch Black, was, like, our worst enemy. Me, your mom, and the Guardians would battle him on a regular basis to protect the children of the world from his evil schemes. But your mom saw the beauty and goodness in everything and everyone, including creeps like your dad, no offense." Jack threw her a look.

"None taken. Continue." Lauren impatiently waved him on.

"Well, because of this, one day a trade was made. Your mom would marry your dad, and he would quit terrorizing the dreams of the children of the world. Now, of course, she did this behind me and the Guardians backs' so by the time we found out about it, it was too late. And we couldn't do anything to stop it either for two reasons. One; we all loved your mom and didn't want to hurt her. Two; you were born."

Lauren let that sink in, wrapping her arms tighter around her waist. It was a lot to take in, the fact that her mom had done all of that, and that Pitch had never once told her about it. "Who are the Guardians?" she asked after a period of silence, aiming for a topic that didn't surround her parents.

Jack looked just as relieved as Lauren felt at avoiding any further topic of conversation about Mother Nature and Pitch. "There are five Guardians as of today, though your mother used to be one before she died. I'm one of them. The other four are Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman. We were all chosen by the Man in the Moon to guard a certain aspect of a child's life like wonder, fun, memories, dreams, and hope. We're called the Guardians because we guard and protect the children of the world. Does that make sense?"

Lauren processed that information before nodding her head slowly in understanding. "Yeah, it makes sense. And if that's all, I should probably get going then."

Lauren made to turn, but Jack called out "Actually, there's more."

Lauren turned back to face him and asked, "You're here for another reason, aren't you?"

Jack smiled slightly. "You got me. I wasn't just in the neighborhood."

"Well, what was your real reason for coming here? I know it wasn't just reminiscing about the good old days with me about my mother." Lauren asked, slightly frustrated.

Jack sighed, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck before replying "I'm here to recruit you."

Lauren gazed up at him for a moment, confused. She slowly uncrossed her arms and asked "For?"

"The Guardians. It's your sixteenth birthday, after all, and we thought you were, age-wise, eligible for Guardianship. What do you say?" Jack asked hopefully, extending his hand to her.

Lauren looked at him blankly. The most prestigious organization she had been invited to join before this was the varsity basketball team at her high school. But being asked to join a group whose sole purpose was to protect all of the children of the world from evil was something else entirely. After a moment, Lauren replied, "I'm sorry, Jack, but my answer is no."

Jack looked shocked. Retracting his hand, he stuttered "W-why not? Why wouldn't you want to join?"

"Because I'm sixteen and I have a life to live! I'm still a child myself! How am I supposed to protect the children of the world when I am one and can barely protect myself and my friends?" Lauren explained, widely gesturing with her arms.

Jack smiled smugly before saying "What you did on Halloween differs with that greatly."

"What, trick or treating? That's still something just children do, right?"

"No, saving your friends, and basically the world, from Revolta."

Lauren rolled her eyes before exclaiming "What was I supposed to do? Leave them there by themselves? I _had_ to help them!"

"You know who else saves people who can't save themselves? The Guardians." Jack pointed out.

Lauren didn't reply but rather looked at her feet. "That was different. I'm not cut out for fighting, especially if I'm supposed to fill my mom's shoes. I only have a couple of her powers."

"True but you have something she didn't. Something that's a great advantage to anyone on your side."

"And what's that, exactly?" Lauren asked him, ready to call out his bluff.

"Your dad's powers."

That caught Lauren off guard. She hadn't considered being more powerful than her parents, but having their combined gifts made her out to be more powerful than the both of them. But that still didn't require her to join the mythical marine corps. "Jack, I'm flattered that you lot think of me as someone who could easily fill my mother's shoes and jump right in with the 'saving the world' bit but let's face the music. There's no way I'm cut out for this, at least not at the moment. Ask me in a decade or so, and you might get a different answer, but as of now, I'm not ready."

Jack sighed, pushed off of the tree, and walked over to Lauren. "You handled it better than I did when I was first offered. It took the death of Sandman, watching the rest of the Guardians nearly die, and winning a major war that almost ended in the world's utter destruction for me to join."

Lauren looked at Jack sympathetically before saying "That's rough and I'm sorry about that, but I don't want to be a Guardian right now. I'm still in school, and I need an education. And I can't just abandon all of my friends to go save the world, no matter how selfish that sounds."

Jack jumped out of the tree he had perched in, closing the distance between them before saying "Well the opportunity to join is always open in the off chance that you're ever tempted."

"Thanks." Lauren quipped at him.

Jack cracked a grin before asking "Is there any chance that meeting the other Guardians would change your mind and make you want to sign up?"

"Nope. I'm perfectly happy with my ghouls." Lauren replied.

Jack smiled even wider, running a hand through his already scraggly hair. Then his eyes quirked upward, meeting Lauren's, and his hand fell before he began leaning in. His lips were upon Lauren's and he was kissing her before she had even processed what he was doing. When she did process what he was doing, Lauren put both her hands on his shoulders and shoved him as hard as possible. Jack flew backward, a hurt expression on his face. "Why'd you do that for?" the two asked simultaneously.

"I have a boyfriend! You lot have been paying attention to what sounds like my entire life for the past few months so you must have known that!" Lauren screamed at him, flustered.

Jack looked apologetic. Standing up, he said, "I'm sorry. It's just, I miss your mom so much it hurts, and you look and sound just like her, and I lost control. I'm sorry."

Sighing, Lauren threw her arms around him and brought him in a tight embrace. "It's okay. I miss her, too. I didn't know her like you did, obviously, but I still think about her every day and wish she hadn't died."

Jack returned the embrace as Lauren buried her head in his shoulder. The mop of gold, curly hair and the warmth it provided was a comforting familiar to him from his days of dating Mother Nature and it was strange feeling the same way about the daughter that could have been his. After a moment the embrace was broken, and Jack pulled away. Clutching his staff, he said "If you're sure that you don't want to be a Guardian then I should really get going. The others will be expecting me to return and I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Okay, well, it was nice meeting you, Jack. I hope one day we'll meet again."

"Definitely. It was nice meeting you, too, Lauren. And remember, if you ever change your mind about wanting to be a Guardian, we'll know and come get you because we'll always be watching you."

"Stalker-ish but okay. Bye, Jack." Lauren watched him pull staff up and jump, riding a gust of wind out of there. She kept watching until he disappeared before turning on her tail and walking back to her school. She shook her head as she jumped the wall, not sure what to make of the conversation she had just shared with Jack Frost of all people. Lauren absentmindedly crossed the moat bridge, opened the front door, and walked up the stairs to her room, all the while thinking about her apparent destiny of Guardian. She was walking into her room when "Surprise!" was yelled at her by all of the ghouls. Lauren screamed and threw a hand over her heart before she realized that it was just the ghouls and Miss Grimwood. "Oh, gosh, you lot scared me! What are you all doing in my room, if you don't mind my asking?"

Tanis pouted before replying "Throwing you a surprise party of course!" Then she ran over to Lauren and hugged her. "Happy birthday, Lauren!"

"Thanks, Tanis!" Lauren replied, scooping the mummy up and into her arms, giving her a hug. Then looking around, she said, "It's going to be a bit cramped, though, having the party in my room."

"Psh, we're not having it in your room. We're having it in the foyer, Lauren. And I thought you were supposed to be the brilliant one." Winnie explained with a grin.

Miss Grimwood nudged her before saying "Winnie, don't be rude."

Lauren smiled and said "Don't worry about it. So when's this party going to take place?"

"Now. And Miss Grimwood invited our parents and the cadets so you'll be able to see Tug!" Tanis practically squealed with excitement.

Lauren frowned for a second, exchanging a look with Sibella, but it lasted no more than a second and quickly passed before her usual smile graced her features. "That sounds awesome! Thank you guys for doing this for me! I couldn't have asked for better friends!" Suddenly Lauren's face fell. Parties tended to involve food and she couldn't trust Miss Grimwood to make something suitable for the cadets and the Colonel to eat so she asked, "Mind if I go whip up some snacks in the kitchen for the party?"

To her disappointment, Miss Grimwood waved a hand and said "Not to worry, dearie. I've taken care of all of that!"

"Oh, that's great, Miss Grimwood!" Lauren replied happily when on the inside she was cringing. Now she had to freshen up the food before the cadets or the Colonel could accidentally consume it. Having the power to control and influence nature was proving itself to be more useful every day. Lauren set Tanis back on the ground and let herself be whisked away to the party going on downstairs. She hadn't noticed any of the decorations when she first arrived in the house, but now she did. Banners and streamers hung from the ceiling and covered the walls, as did bunches of balloons. A table with a festive tablecloth was laden with a bunch bowl, glasses, and food. It smelled delicious to Lauren, but she knew was it contained so using her newly mastered powers, she magicked the food to no longer be the way Miss Grimwood had prepared it, but fresh and decent tasting so the cadets wouldn't need all of their stomachs pumped. There was a knock on the door and Handy went and got in. In walked the Colonel, followed by the cadets. Tug looked around before making a beeline for Lauren. He threw his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Then he pulled back and grinned. Realization dawned on Lauren's face as she asked, "You distracted me with a picnic so they could set all of this up, didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged," he replied, pulling her close.

"You're too sweet and this is too much," Lauren whined.

"It's your sweet sixteen and you're going to enjoy it." Tug told her in a mock-stern tone.

Lauren sighed before saying "Okay, alright. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, we'll need some music." Tug replied before asking Miss Grimwood "Miss Grimwood, any chance you could play some music for us?"

"Why certainly, cadet Roper. Handy, is there any chance you could play us a little something?" The hand bobbed in what appeared to be its way of nodding before it flew across the piano.

Lauren's face crinkled before she asked "Miss Grimwood, is there any chance of you allowing me to play some of my music instead?"

"Why of course, Lauren. Handy, give her a hand, would you?" And a second later, a bunch of speakers was set up around the room, Lauren's phone synced to all of them. She scrolled through her music before selecting a playlist and started it. The room was then full of a loud, infectious pop music. Lauren stuffed her phone in her back pocket before dancing over to where Tug stood, grabbed his hands, and spun herself under his arm. Tug smiled and steered her away from the other ghouls, dancing with her. The rest of the room's occupants began dancing, at first a little awkwardly, but as some fell into the rhythm, the stragglers did as well. It was nearing dusk when the parents of the ghouls arrived and Lauren did her best to distract Tug from the fact that eleven adult monsters were now surrounding them. But her wishes were ignored as they each made a beeline for her and Tug in order to wish her a happy birthday.

After a while, Miss Grimwood lightly beat a spoon against a glass and Lauren cut the music. 'Please Don't Stop the Music' was, ironically, cut short so Miss Grimwood could make her announcement. "Thank you, Lauren. And thank you, parents, cadets, and Colonel for showing up. As you all know, we are here to celebrate a momentous occasion, Lauren's sixteenth birthday. Please take a seat at the table and we'll eat shortly." There was a mad dash to the seats, the cadets attempting to get away from the ghouls and their parents. Lauren slipped out of Tug's grasp and made her way to the table, over where the ghouls and their parents were sitting. Lauren plunked down in the empty seat by Sibella, leaving the seat on her other side open. There also happened to be a seat beside Grunt that was available.

Confused, Tug scanned the room and saw Pitch had yet to take a seat. They both made eye contact, eyed the seat by Lauren, the seat by Grunt, and then each other again. Suddenly Tug was overcome with an unfamiliar emotion and nearly sprinted over to the chair that was beside Lauren and sat in it in a span of about three seconds. Then he looked for Pitch who was glaring at him scarily. He then slunk from out of the shadows and, with a sigh, walked over to the unoccupied seat by Grunt. Pitch looked at the rotund boy with an upturned nose before, deciding that there was no alternative, sitting down. Tug looked away, then, and looked over at Lauren who was talking to Sibella. Sibella saw Tug staring, smirked, said something in a low whisper to Lauren causing both girls to giggle, and after regaining her breath, Lauren looked back over at Tug, who had his eyebrows raised. "What are the two of you smirking about?"

"Oh... nothing," Lauren replied, drinking some of Miss Grimwood's punch to mask her smile. She had barely taken half a swallow before she completely lost her cool.

Tug snorted as he replied, "Hmm. Sure looks like something."

"It's not. I promise." Lauren replied, setting her glass down.

Tug laughed before changing the subject. "Well, I have something I need to tell you."

"Proceed," Lauren commanded.

"I think your dad is going to kill me." Tug informed her.

"Whatever gave you that impression?" Lauren asked incredulously.

"Take a look for yourself." Tug replied, flicking his chin to denote to something behind him.

Lauren leaned forward, craning her neck to see around people. When she saw her father, she began laughing. He had fixed Tug with the coldest look imaginable. She leaned back in her seat and began laughing. "What did you do?"

"Left him with the last seat beside Grunt. The other empty one was this one, and let's face it, I see enough of Grunt every day, and not nearly enough of you so I practically teleported my butt into this chair, leaving your dad with that one."

This made Lauren laugh so hard she began snorting. Tug leaned back in his chair, satisfied with that reaction. At that moment, he didn't care that Pitch was looking at him like a cockroach on his dinner plate. Tug had a smoking hot girlfriend who he had been crushing on for years, and she was laughing at a joke he had just told her. Any punishment her dad attempted to give him wasn't of any consequence to him at the moment. Feeling especially reckless, Tug leaned forward and kissed Lauren squarely on the lips, feeling especially giddy when he felt her kissing him back.

Later in the night, the dinner was finished, presents had been opened, fawned over, and put in Lauren's bedroom, and the guests began to leave. Lauren and Tug were holding hands, talking to each other in quiet voices when Pitch walked over to them. "Oh, uh, hello Mr. Black."

"Roper," Pitch replied. Lauren fixed her father with a look, wondering what he was playing at. Shaking his head, Pitch continued "I want to apologize for my behavior at our first, er… meeting."

Tug looked confused but politely replied "Don't sweat it, Mr. Black. It's no problem, really."

"Oh, but it is. My behavior was extremely unbecoming, especially when you consider how important you are to my daughter. So I'm sorry. For everything."

"Oh. Um, thank you, Mr. Black. But it's water under the bridge, really. Don't worry about it."

Pitch smiled before saying, "Thank you... Roper." He couldn't bring himself to say the boy's Christian name, Tug.

"Cadet Roper! We're leaving!" the Colonel called from the doorway, ending the awkward moment of silence.

"Bye, Lauren. Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Tug. I love you."

"I love you more." Tug replied, jogging away to fall in line behind the Colonel.

When the Colonel and the cadets were gone, Pitch turned to Lauren and said, "I wanted to apologize to you as well."

"What are you talking about, father?" Lauren asked, confused.

Pitch smiled before saying "I am a terrible father. Everything you've told me in the past it true. I'm a coward, a selfish coward. I've taken my pains on losing your mother out on the entire world, and even more regrettably, you. I made you move halfway across the bloody country just because a gentleman had exquisite taste and wanted to be your date. And I know that it's entirely too late to undo any of that, so I hope that at the very least you could forgive me."

Pitch didn't even get to finish before Lauren flung her arms around his abdomen and pulled him into a tight embrace. Pitch hugged her back. "Father, don't talk like that. Sure, we've had our fallouts in the past, especially the last year, but I still love you and nothing you ever do will change that. Now quit talking like a bloody idiot because you are not a terrible father and I love you."

Pitch cracked a genuine smile before saying "Well, thank you, Lauren. And I love you more." The hug lasted a moment more before the two split apart. After another moment Pitch said "It's getting late and I must be going, Lauren. I have a lot of work to do, but I'll see you again shortly."

"I understand. Goodbye, father." And with that, Pitch vanished into the shadows. The rest of the monster parents left shortly after, wishing Lauren a happy birthday and saying goodbye to their daughters. Lauren hugged Miss Grimwood and all of the ghouls before saying "Thank you all for throwing me an awesome sweet sixteen!"

Miss Grimwood waved her hand dismissively before saying "After all you do for us around here, it was the least we could do for you, Lauren!"

Lauren blushed scarlet before saying "Please. You're making me blush here! And at any rate, I'm more than happy to help out in any way I can."

"If by 'do your part' you mean saving our butts from an evil witch, winning us the volleyball tournament, and being there for us on a daily basis? Throwing you a birthday party pales in comparison!" Winnie replied.

"Yeah, Lauren! You're such an amazing friend and therefore deserved an amazing party!" Phantasma chirped.

Lauren was so overwhelmed she couldn't even form words so she simply stood there, a dorky grin on her face, soaking in the compliments. It was only when Tanis began dropping from exhaustion that Lauren picked her up, put Tanis in her bed, and went into her own, not bothering to do anything more than slip the shoes off of her feet. As soon as Lauren's head hit the pillow of the bed and she was under the blankets, she was asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: An Unexpected Kidnapping**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

* * *

 _Crash!_ Lauren jumped up and out of the sheets, her heart beating a mile a minute at the sound. Looking around, she saw two hairy, ten feet tall creatures in her room. The _crash_ appeared to have been the result of them simply landing in her room. Backing up against her headboard, Lauren asked them "Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" In reply, they made a bunch of garbled noises. Honestly, she hadn't expected them to speak English but it didn't appease her worry as to why they were in her room. One of them made to approach her but Lauren jumped up and ran to the far side of the room. "I'm going to ask you two again, and this time I want a legit response, what are you doing in my - hey!" she ended in a shout as one of the creatures grabbed her, while the other threw a large, burlap sack over her head. Suddenly, she felt weightless and knew she'd been tossed. Cringing, Lauren balled in on herself and waited to splat onto the ground, but that feeling never came. Instead, a second later she landed on the ground with a gentle thud. Once on the ground, Lauren grabbed the lip of the bag and clawed at it. To her surprise, it hadn't been tied or sealed shut in any way. Once she managed to find the edge, Lauren shot out of the bag and stood up, ready to bolt until she took in her surroundings. She was in a lavishly decorated room that was high ceilinged and had a roaring fireplace taking up a whole wall. There were huge, arching windows letting in soft light. Peering out of them from where she was standing, Lauren saw it was snowing up a storm out there. Looking around, she noticed a giant book that rested on a pedestal carved of mahogany. The rest of the room was covered in Christmas decorations, with a giant tree in a corner, even though it wasn't even December.

Spinning in a slow circle, Lauren stopped when she saw five figures enter the room, one of them looking especially looking familiar. She froze, so unbelievably pissed off steam should have been shooting out of her ears. That was when she felt something hard form in her right hand. Looking at it, she saw a snowball had formed somehow. Looking over at the person she wanted to target, Lauren threw it as hard as possible, hitting him squarely in the face. As he flew back, the four others looked up in surprise before recognition hit and the shock was replaced by comprehension. The four still standing approached her, the fifth rubbed the snow off of his face before joining the others.

Once they had all gathered around Lauren, a large man with a white beard and a red jacket said happily "Ah, she's here. Hey, there she is! Lauren Black!" The man holds out his arms to welcome Lauren.

"Wow, you gotta be kidding me," she said under her breath. Two giant creatures suddenly grab Lauren by the shoulders and lift her up to her feet. "Hey, hey. Whoa, put me down."

"I hope the Yetis treated you well?" the man in the red jacket asked her.

"Oh, yeah. I love being kidnapped and subsequently shoved in a sack and tossed through a magic portal." she sarcastically quipped.

"Oh, good! That was my idea!" Red jacket replied though he seemed to not understand that Lauren was being super sarcastic. Red jacket placed a hand under his chin and looked Lauren over curiously before clapping his hands and saying "Right, then! Introductions are in order! Though, of course, you must know who I am!" Lauren looked at him dubiously, realized he was being serious, and shook her head. At that, red jacket's face fell for a second before he began smiling and said "Bah! Of course, you do! I am North."

That was when Lauren's brain clicked. "So you lot must be the Guardians Jack was telling me about earlier."

"Yes! Exactly! I knew you knew who we are!" North beamed at her before adding "Or at least who I am. In case you didn't know, that's Bunny." North said, denoting to a six-foot-tall rabbit who was painting an egg. Upon hearing his name, he looked up, simultaneously winked and waved two fingers in a mock wave, before going back to painting his egg. "And Tooth," North added, pointing at a feathery individual who was flittering around the room, talking to what could only be described as many tooth fairies, and sending them out in mad rushes.

Upon hearing her name, Tooth flitted over to Lauren, grabbed her hand, and shook it. "You must be Lauren! I was very close to your mom! She had the most amazing teeth! Open up! I want to see if they're just as pearly white as hers!" Tooth opened Lauren's mouth without asking for permission and began sticking her fingers inside Lauren's mouth.

Lauren made several sounds in protest about it but Tooth ignored her until North said "Tooth, fingers out of mouth."

Tooth reluctantly pulled her fingers away before apologizing. "Sorry. They're beautiful."

"Water under the bridge," Lauren replied as the introductions continued.

"And you must know the Sandman." North turns and sees Sandy snoozing. "Sandy! Sandy! Wake up!" Sandy bolts up awake and steps up to Lauren, smiling. Lauren smiles back and shakes his extended hand. "And of course, you know Jack." North finished.

"Oh yeah, I know him," Lauren replied, not looking Jack in the eye. "But speaking of Jack, I suppose he mustn't have told you that I declined the invitation to join your mythical sorority because there's no other plausible reason for my being here then."

Jack rubbed the back of his head before grinning and said, "Oh, I told them. They just didn't believe me."

North made a face before saying "He must have been lying. You know, Jack is overly fond of practical jokes so of course, we brought you here! You must be wondering why we didn't bring you here earlier!"

"No, actually. I'm wondering when I can leave." Lauren asked seriously as she uncrossed her arms.

North laughed, a loud booming laugh. "Of course you're joking! Why wouldn't you want to be a Guardian?"

At that, Lauren glared fiercely at Jack, who simply shrugged in response. Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Lauren said "Look, I already explained my reasons to Jack who hopefully explained them to you, but if he didn't, that's not my concern. So if that's all, then we're done here."

Lauren turned on the spot and was about to teleport when North called out after her "Lauren, wait!"

Turning back around, Lauren stared at him with her arms loosely crossed. "You have my attention. Proceed."

North pointed to a plush armchair and said, "Please, take a seat." Lauren uncrossed her arms and glided over to the chair before sitting down in it. Suddenly, on either side of the chair appeared an elf. To the right, the elf produced a giant, ornately decorated mug filled to the brim with hot chocolate and large, fluffy marshmallows. To the left, another elf stood with a tray covered in cookies. He carefully perched the tray on the arm of the chair before walking away.

Lauren leaned back into the chair, clearly designed for a larger individual such as North because her feet didn't even touch the floor. To save herself some dignity, she curled her legs up under her and sipped the hot chocolate. "Okay, what is it?" she asked, wiping the whipped cream from her upper lip.

"It's hot chocolate. Don't tell me you never had it before!" North asked, believing her question to be literal.

"This is not hot chocolate, cookies, an admittedly very comfortable chair, and a roaring fire. This is, as Mark Antony would say, a tantalizing table of treason. Or perhaps treachery. Or both, if Mark Antony were a fan of alliteration, something I'd like to imagine he is."

The Guardians all exchanged a confused look before North said with a wave of his hands "No treason. Just simple invitation."

Lauren nodded before taking a large gulp of hot chocolate. When it neared the bottom, it instantly refilled itself. 'Insurance,' she thought, though impressed, though she wasn't to be moved just yet. "Absolutely not," she stated firmly.

"We haven't even asked you anything yet!" North exclaimed.

"Yes, but I know what you were going to ask and so no. The hot chocolate proves it. It's the last straw; the final pheasant feather on the proverbial fictional fluffy feather bed."

"I take it Mark Antony isn't the only fan of alliteration around here, eh?" Bunny noted in a bemused tone.

Lauren sighed before, after a thoughtful moment, she said, "Well I'm not moving from this spot for at least twenty minutes so you have my full and undivided attention for the time being." North sighed, relieved. Finally, the Guardians had a shot to convince her to join. "But before you begin, let me say why I don't want to join. Upon hearing it, you might reconsider the invitation altogether."

"Invitation?" Tooth asked her, confused. Sandy further illustrated this by creating a question mark above his forehead.

At this, Lauren sat up slightly. "Well, yeah. I'm being invited to join, aren't I?"

"No. You were chosen to join. By Man in Moon." North explained, his eyebrows knotted together in his perplexed state.

Lauren remembers Jack talking about the Man in the Moon, but he never told her that she had been chosen by him. "I just thought you needed a replacement for my mother and that's why you were asking me. One of the reasons why I was hesitant to join is because I thought I was just going to be filling in her shoes and didn't want to disappoint you lot when you realized that I am only gifted with a select few of her powers."

Tooth looked sympathetic and flew over to Lauren before wrapping her arms around the girl's shoulders. After a minute of silence embracing, Tooth began talking while still hugging Lauren. "Well, you must be something special because the Man in the Moon wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't. And powers are generally something you grow into so you haven't even reached your full potential yet. One day, you will, but you're still young."

Tooth gently let her arms fall away from Lauren as she sighed. "I'd like to join, but I don't want to give up the life I'm living right now, no matter how selfish or conceited that may sound."

"What are you talkin' about, Sheila?" Bunny asked in a puzzled tone. "You wouldn't be giving' up your current life. There might be a moment when you're called to help us fight someone but that's incredibly rare."

Lauren's facepalmed herself. She had over thought the proposition and had subsequently made a fool out of herself. Slowly she set aside the mug of hot chocolate, stood up, and simply said "Okay."

"Okay?" North asked, his eyebrows further knitting together.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren clarified by saying, "I'll join."

Going from bewildered to ecstatic, North stuttered "What- really? After all of that, you'll join?"

Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, I mean why not? Protecting the children of the world from evil? Sign me up. I could add it to my college resume."

There was a great deal of scrambling to prepare for the ceremony but at last, everything was perfect. North stood at the pedestal, Lauren in front of him. Clearing his throat, he began. "Will you, Lauren Black, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life: their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams? For they are all that we have, all that we are and all that we will ever be."

Lauren took a second to look at each Guardian, before averting her gaze back to North. "I will."

"Then congratulations, Lauren Black, for you are now and forevermore... a Guardian." North smiled at her as he closed the book. Tooth picked Lauren up and spun her around in a tight hug as though they'd known each other for years. Bunny bumped Lauren affectionately on the shoulder but Lauren spun around and gave him a hug anyway, coaxing him into hugging her back. Lauren scooped Sandy into her arms for a hug before being abruptly lifted up by North and kissed on both cheeks.

Lauren was awkwardly facing Jack, who wasn't liking the tension between them any more than Lauren was. "So... I'm glad you joined. It took long enough to convince you." Jack said, rubbing the back of his head.

Lauren smiled slightly, replying "Yeah. So I was just wondering if, you know, you maybe wanted to forget about earlier today all together?"

"Yes," Jack said instantly, hardly even processing what Lauren had just offered him.

"Good," she said, cracking a genuine grin, and hugging Jack tightly. Jack was taken aback for a second but quickly got over it and hugged Lauren back, smiling. When the two pulled apart, Lauren backed away from Jack and said "If that's all, then I should probably get going. I've been up for almost twenty-four hours and am about to collapse from exhaustion."

An excited smile covered North's face as he said, "I can get you back to your school in no time!"

The sound of a sleigh ride with Santa Claus himself thrilled Lauren to no end. However, she was aware just how new a member she was to the Guardians and didn't want to be treated like a child. "But I can teleport! And I wouldn't want to burden you."

"Please. Is no burden. And you are about to fall over so I'm giving you sleigh ride no matter what you say." North argued, crossing his arms victoriously.

"There's no point in arguing with him when he gets like this," Jack told her, casually swinging his staff up and over his shoulders, placing it behind his neck and wrapping his arms around it so his elbows were hanging off of it.

Ignoring this, Lauren followed North and stared in awe at the sleigh. As she jumped aboard, North said, "You know, your mother helped me design it and pick out the reindeer to pull it."

"No, I didn't know that," Lauren replied, intrigued. She slowly ran her hand along the side of the sleigh before climbing aboard. After a moment, she sat down and drummed her fingers against her knees.

North watched her with sad eyes. "Is true. She was very gifted. And incredibly brilliant, but you already knew that."

"Yeah, I do. There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss her, nor a day that my father isn't constantly talking about her and how amazing she was." Lauren said mournfully, holding back the tears she felt forming.

North's face darkened, but the darkness was quickly replaced by a smile as he said "Ah, good. Now get comfortable because we're _OFF_!" and with that command, the reindeer began running down the track before they were up and in the air. Lauren stood up and leaned over edge of the sleigh, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping through her hair, when suddenly a powerful breeze knocked her off of the sleigh. She screamed as she plummeted towards the ground. North cried out "Lauren!" and dove the sleigh in a downward spiral but not fast enough. Still screaming, Lauren hadn't noticed that her descent had slowed. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and realized she was frozen in midair. Looking around, she observed that she wasn't caught in anything, rather she was hovering on her own accord. After a moment, North had finally caught up with her and leveled the sleigh a foot beside her, staring blankly at the spectacle. "When did you learn to fly?"

"I didn't know I could! I knew I could jump incredibly far, but this is new!" and to prove that she was truly flying, Lauren began doing flips in the air.

North smiled as he watched. As Lauren landed in the sleigh, he said "Your mother could fly, too. She preferred walking when she could, though, because she always wanted to feel connected to the earth, but she would fly when necessary."

Lauren let that sink in. She felt like someone had increased the size of her heart, she felt so happy. She had another connection to her mother, and according to Tooth, there might be several more in the future. For the time being, Lauren would have to experiment with herself until she had developed all of her mother's powers, or at least all that she had the potential for. For the rest of the sleigh ride, Lauren grilled North for every detail about her mother's powers. When she had tapped that well dry, she then focused on the powers of her father. Mother Nature and Pitch Black were two incredibly powerful individuals and being the daughter of the two made Lauren automatically immensely powerful. And if she was going to get this Guardian thing right, then it wouldn't hurt to know about and how to perform everything that she capable of doing. She was especially looking forward to practicing her ability to fly, the apparent ability her mother had to shapeshift, and her mother's ability to make a magic bow and infinite amount of arrows appear at her disposal. Eventually, though, the sleigh ride ended as North had brought her back to school. Before exiting the sleigh, Lauren hugged North tightly around the shoulders. "Thanks for telling me more about my mother," she whispered, trying to hold back tears.

North smiled at her before saying softly "Anytime. And Lauren, if you ever need someone to talk to about her, any of the Guardians and I wouldn't mind talking with you."

"Thanks, North." and Lauren stepped off the sleigh and onto the ground. She watched the sleigh until it disappeared before heading inside the house. Once inside, she teleported into her room, stripped off her clothing, pulled on her pajamas, and collapsed into bed. Checking the time, it was nearly four in the morning. Groaning, Lauren knew it wasn't going to be before noon when she would awake fully rested. Deciding that she officially didn't care when she woke up because sleeping in could be a birthday present to herself from herself, Lauren snuggled deeper under the covers, shut her eyes, and went out like a light, ready to develop her hidden powers in the morning.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Terrified Nightmares**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for OC.

* * *

Lauren perched herself on a rock and examined the list. The power at the very top was 'ability to hold breath indefinitely' and was the first Lauren planned on trying out. Setting the paper down, she took her clothes off, revealing a bikini underneath. Glancing over the rock, Lauren stared at the water. She had teleported herself from Miss Grimwood's school to a lake. Standing up, she waded into the water and continued walking until the water reached her chest. Then she bent her knees and pushed off the sediment bottom and deeper into the lake, without taking a breath. Lauren propelled herself deeper and deeper into the lake, only stopping when she reached the very bottom. Once at the bottom, she finally rested, hovering an inch above the sandy bottom of the lake. Looking around, she saw no visible sign of change and her lungs felt fine. However, they began to burn. Confused, Lauren began to panic. Had North been wrong about her having the ability to hold her breath indefinitely? By this point, her lungs were burning unbearably but Lauren was too deep to make it to the surface in time. Unintentionally, she inhaled a mouthful of water. Spluttering, she tried to reclaim her breath but it was too late. The oxygen was gone and her mouth was full of water. Just as her vision began to become tinged by blackness, the burning sensation ceased. Lauren quit her upward ascent and began slowly sinking back towards the bottom. Her lungs no longer burned at all and the blackness that had framed her vision slowly faded.

She felt no desire to take a breath. She let out a laugh before clapping a hand over her mouth as air bubbles escaped from her mouth but if her lungs were burning from lack of oxygen, she couldn't feel it. Slowly, Lauren let her hands float away from her mouth, and began grinning like an idiot. She placed her feet on the lake floor, bent her knees, and pushed off with a tremendous force and did a flip in the water. Once the flip was complete, Lauren began swimming around. As she swam, she noticed a variety of fish were following her around, looking at her curiously. Abruptly coming to a stop, Lauren held still, and as a result, the fish swam even closer. They looked friendly, and Lauren greeted them. And instead of more air bubbles exiting her mouth, actual words came out. Surprised, she said "Hello! My name is Lauren." the fish all nodded amongst themselves and replied back to her. At this point, Lauren felt surprised, but not bewildered. If she could fly, survive underwater without breathing, and teleport halfway around the world in less than a second, then learning fish could talk to her wasn't exactly New York Times worthy news. Cautiously, she extended a finger and gently patted a fish on the top of its head. It seemed to like it so Lauren continued. When she stopped, the fish swam up and gently bumped her on the cheek affectionately. Lauren smiled a toothless smile at it. If she hadn't had several more powers to master on the list then she would have stayed in the lake for the rest of the day. She used her ability to fly to propel her through the water at a faster rate and she shot out of the water and landed perfectly on the ground. When she landed, Lauren took note of the fact that she was totally dry. That was a first. Pulling her clothes back on, she examined the list, crossing off 'ability to hold breath indefinitely' and 'ability to talk to animals' before looking at the next one.

After several hours, Lauren had finally developed almost every power of her mother's. She could now fluctuate the weather, influence the actions of animals, fly, hold her breath indefinitely, talk to animals, and bend the four elements of earth; fire, water, earth, and air. There was only one left and that was to conjure a magic bow and infinite supply of arrows. That one would obviously be the most difficult to pull off because unlike the others, it wasn't something that she could just turn on by using cause and effect. You could throw yourself off a cliff and make your body fly in order to survive or swim to the bottom of a deep lake without air to kick in the ability to not need to breath.

Lauren was about to attempt to magically conjure the bow and arrows but the sun had begun to set. Folding up her list, Lauren crammed it in her pocket before teleporting back to the school, but midway, she changed her destination. She wanted to see Tug before she went to bed. There was no way Lauren could show him the powers she'd just mastered, but she still wanted to talk to him.

Lauren arrived outside the school and knocked on the door, only to have the Colonel answer. Upon seeing Lauren, he said "Miss Black. It's a little late for a visit, don't you think? The boys have had a long day of training and an even longer one tomorrow. I put up with you visiting Tug because it doesn't interfere with his training, but I won't put up with you taking away from his sleep. If he's tired, he won't perform well."

Lauren crossed her arms before saying "Colonel Calloway, I respect you and what your school stands for, but the cadets in there aren't machines who can be worked day after day with little room for sleep and leisure time. They're human, and you may have forgotten what that means, but I haven't. They need to do more than just train, eat, and sleep because that's all you have your boys doing!"

"Oh and I suppose Miss Grimwood just lets you girls do your own thing?" the Colonel asked her, crossing his arms as though his point had just been made.

Lauren crossed hers as well before saying "Yes, actually. Lessons hardly take up eight hours of the day and once our schooling is completed, we are free to do as we please for the rest of the day. Not to mention we get weekends off, as well as the occasional holiday, something I fear yours boys get neither of. And even with such a short amount of schooling compared to the cadets, we still managed to beat them at the last volleyball game, and are prepared to continue doing so year after year."

The Colonel certainly wasn't pleased, or used to, being talked to that way but nonetheless he went inside and a minute later, Tug came out.

He was, for once, not in uniform but rather in a pair of pajamas that consisted of a white cotton T-shirt and a pair of grey sweat pants. His pale, bare feet poked out under the frayed ends. Lauren felt heat creep up to the surface of her face as Tug looked down at her with a smile playing on his lips. "So I may have overheard you sassing off to the Colonel before my arrival."

Lauren felt the rant come out of her before she could a single thing to stop it. "He's working you boys too hard! All you ever do is train, and if it's not that then you have a few hours to sleep or a couple of minutes to scarf down whatever food you can find! And it's obviously not enough because you're all so thin!"

Running a hand through his hair, Tug reached out to Lauren and pulled her closer to him. In a reassuring voice, he said, "That's not true, we get plenty to-"

Lauren wasn't buying it. "Tug, don't you dare finish that sentence! I saw the guys filling their pockets with food last night and I'm not just talking about the sweets! He's starving you lot, isn't he? Answer me truthfully."

Tug sighed before saying "Yeah, maybe a little. The Colonel says it's good endurance training in case there's ever an enemy attack and we're left stranded without food."

"An enemy attack? In the middle of nowhere? And, what? I suppose the Colonel is starving himself as well? That man couldn't last an hour without his pillows being fluffed for him! And all of this training nonsense! Training for what? You lot aren't actually going into the military and it's not exactly like this particular region is a hot spot for any sort of attack! It's absolutely ridiculous!" Lauren screamed out in frustration, wanting to pamper Tug until he died. "Tell me what you need." she abruptly commanded.

"What?" Tug asked, confused.

"What do you boys need? Or rather, prefer? My father's loaded, you know that, and so money is no option." clarified Lauren.

Tug finally understood what she was talking about and shook his head. "It's okay, Lauren. We'll manage. We've lasted a couple months already, haven't we?"

"That's the bloody point! You've lasted too long and it's time you get treated like a normal human being for once! I want you to go back inside, have the guys compile a list of foods they want, and bring them back to me. I'll get whatever's on them, no matter how ridiculous. And while we're on the subject of buying, is there anything other than food you may want? I can get you new mattresses, or bigger beds for that matter. Or some new clothes, as those look like they're older than you are. Or maybe some-" Before Lauren could say another word, Tug pressed his lips against hers, silencing her speech. After a moment, Lauren backed away and said "Tug, you still didn't answer my question. Seriously, what can I get you and the boys?"

Tug shook his head. "I can't let you do this for me, Lauren."

Lauren crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow simultaneously before saying "Fine then. I won't get you a thing. But I won't let you speak for the rest of the guys so move over so I can ask them what they want." And with that, she made to shove past Tug and enter the school when Tug blocked her path.

"Fine, I'll talk to the guys. I'll be back in five minutes with a short list." Tug turned his back on her and walked down the hall.

As he did so, Lauren cried out after him "It better be longer than I am tall!", but if Tug heard her, he made no acknowledgment of it.

It took more than five minutes, but Tug did return with a list. He handed it to Lauren, who took it from him suspiciously before reading every item on the list. It was long, with several dozen items, and for that she was happy. Her father really was loaded with cash that he somehow acquired and because of this, Lauren was much richer than the average teenager, human or monster. It made her feel good when she was able to use her money to help those less fortunate than her out and right there was a prime example. Kissing Tug on the lips, she said "I'll be back in a half hour. Don't wait up." And with that she shoved Tug back inside, slammed the door in his face, and teleported before he could reopen the door and inquire as to why she'd slammed it in the first place.

When Lauren finally came back, she teleported outside of the cadet's room so she wouldn't have to deal with the Colonel. This was something she wanted to keep a secret from him, among dozens of other things. Once outside their room, she knocked quietly. Not a second later, Tug stuck his head out the door, saw it was her, and quickly ushered her inside. When the boys saw Lauren, laden in bag after bag of food, they burst into joyful tears. Lauren gently set the bags on the ground before walking over to Tug and whispered "When you begin to run out, or you need something else, just let me know. This shouldn't last more than a week, maybe two, but no more than that so I'll be periodically checking in, just to make sure."

Tug grinned, looking like a dork, before pulling Lauren close and planting a kiss on her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist before lifting her off the ground and holding her tight. Lauren wrapped her arms around his neck to secure herself but didn't break the kiss. She didn't have to feel embarrassed, either. The cadets knew her and Tug were dating, yes, but they were so distracted by the food Lauren thought she might have to go back to the store tonight and get them some more. She'd not only bought food but cooking utensils so they could eat things other than processed junk. Wanting the best for them, she bought multipurpose unit that not only functioned as a grill but an oven and stove as well. And she'd brought them pots, pans, and plates, as well as several sets of silverware, not to mention a small refrigerator for the meats she'd purchased. Ribs, ham, turkey, chicken, steak, and bacon. She'd bought so much bacon that she had to use a bag for it all on its own. She'd also bought cheeses, fruits, vegetables, and bread as well as a vast array of cookies, candy, brownies, and fudge. Now that she knew the boys didn't get enough to eat, she'd be able to teleport home every now and then and cook them something special in the kitchen Pitch had had built in their house. It was so huge it would have left Gordon Ramsey speechless. Finally the need for air was so great that Lauren and Tug had to pull apart and breathe. Checking the time, Lauren took note of it being nearly eleven and the Colonel insisted that the cadets go to bed no later than ten.

Pulling away from Tug, she said "Don't let them stay up too late, and make sure that you get to eat, too. That's as much as I could carry or else I would have brought more."

"It's plenty enough. We'll ration and make it last." Tug told her with a smile, already planning who would get what, when, and planning the best ways to hide it from the Colonel.

At the 'r' word, Lauren snapped. "You will do no such thing! You've rationed enough! You've gone months eating those rations so you'll do as I say and eat as much as you want from now on! You don't need to ration. Tug, I love you and I only want what's best for you, and I can't bare the fact that you've been starving for months and I'm just now finding out about it."

A tear leaked past her eye and Tug gently wiped it away. "The guys and I are tough. Some of them have been here for years. Baxter was dropped off relatively close to when I was, but the rest… well you don't know how much this food means to them."

Lauren smiled at him, placing her hand over his, holding it closer to her face. "Well good. And the food wasn't just from the me. The other girls helped me out with it, too, so I'm assuming we can expect a nice, clean game of volleyball next year instead of the cadet's usual cheats and cheap tactics?"

"The way you're feeding us might make us all so obese we won't be able to play volleyball." Tug said with a laugh.

Lauren laughed as well before saying "Maybe that was the plan all along. But seriously, though, I'm glad you boys are finally getting some decent food. And it's getting late and I should be getting out of here. Wouldn't want the Colonel to find me in your room, sitting on your bed, would we?"

Tug laughed before replying "No we wouldn't. I'll see you around."

Lauren nodded, hugged him close, and then left. She gently shut their door and was about to teleport back to her school when she thought about the Colonel. There was no way he'd reduce himself to rations and training twenty four seven. So she snuck down the hallway until she found a door with his name written on a gold plaque. Using her newly acquired powers, Lauren turned herself into a ladybug and scuttled under the door before flitting about the room. The Colonel was sitting in a large, leather armchair, his feet propped up on the desk, a large chicken leg in each hand. Well, he certainly wasn't eating rations then.

Resisting the urge to turn into a wasp and sting him on the nose, Lauren left the room in search of his bedroom. It was right next door. When she got inside and had a look around, her jaw dropped. The room was massive. There was a king sized bed against one wall with large downy feathers and several blankets piled high on top of the sleep number mattress. Across from the bed was a gigantic flatscreen and adjacent to that was a small kitchen with a not-so-small refrigerator. Turning back into a human, Lauren carefully opened the door to the refrigerator and looked inside. She hadn't even been looking for an entire second when she felt herself boiling with rage. It was stuffed to the breaking point with all kinds of food. Meats and cheeses. Fruits and vegetables. Cakes and pastries. If it was food, it was in there and it left Lauren steaming mad. So while the cadets trained and trained, living off of rations and about six hours of sleep a day, the Colonel had a large bed, suits imported from Italy, a flat screen television, and a fridge full of food. She was going to have to do something about this, only when she had just begun to formulate a plan, she began to yawn.

Plans for overthrowing pompous tyrants couldn't be done when one was exhausted so Lauren teleported to the wall that divided her school with the cadets, wanting to take a little walk before going to sleep. Before expanding upon her powers, teleporting had always tired her out, but today alone she had teleported at least a dozen times, all leaving every bit of her energy in tact. Suddenly something whooshed past her. Lauren leapt ten feet in the air out of surprise, and ended up staying there because of her newfound ability to fly, and saw it was one of her father's Nightmares. Confused, Lauren wondered why one of her father's Nightmares, the boogeyman himself, would be fleeing. Whatever it was, Lauren knew she had to investigate, for the sake of her ghouls and Miss Grimwood. Wishing she had learned how to work her mother's weapon, Lauren had to rely on the knife Tug had given to her instead. Pulling it out of her pocket, she flipped the blade up and flew into the house as fast as possible, being given an encouraging push from the wind. She was almost inside when something came out. Lauren ducked into a tree and looked at it. It appeared human in shape, but the thick, black robe it wore made it impossible to tell. Putting the knife back in her pocket, Lauren turned into a ladybug again and flew over to the creature, she hovered about a foot above it.

Holding out what she assumed to be a hand, the man seemed to be beckoning for something. Out of the shadows, a horse flew. Lauren gasped, thinking that it was one of her father's Nightmares, but then the moonlight hit the horse and she realized that that thing was not a Nightmare. It was a skeleton. Her curiosity spiking even more, Lauren listened as the creature began to talk. The deep, masculine voice led her to believe it was a man. As he patted the skeleton horse on the head, he said "Aw, my pet. Soon our revenge shall be taken, yes, very soon. Once we have our old friend's little brat in our possession, the rest of the pieces will soon fall into play. Tell me, what news do you have of the girl?" The skeleton made a few noises from the back of its throat in reply. The man stood there, frozen, his hand resting on the skeleton's neck, when he suddenly produced a flaming scythe and lopped its head off. Lauren flew another two feet in the air to avoid the weapon and keep herself from being set on fire as she watched the skeleton turn to ash and float away with the breeze. The man seemed indifferent as he placed the scythe back on his back where it remained well concealed. The man spared one last look at the school and smiled. Pulling back his hood, he said "I'll be back and I will find you." before he swished his cloak and was gone.

Lauren stood there, frozen, before she teleported back into the school. Once inside, she transformed back into her human self before dashing around from room to room. Miss Grimwood, check. Elsa, check. Phantasma, check. Winnie, check. Tanis, check. Sibella, check. Lastly, she checked her own room. Upon arrival, she noticed how utterly trashed it was. Someone had obviously been looking for her. Relieved that she had gone to the cadet's school before coming here, and that none of her friends had been hurt, Lauren wondered what to do. Recalling the man from outsides words, she worked out that she must have been the 'little brat' and therefore he had either known her mother or father. She thought about going to see Pitch, but then thought against it because he would either lock her up in an underground bunker for the next decade or pay NASA to send her to Mars on their next flight out. Shaking her head, Lauren knew of only one other group of people who could tell her what she wanted to know. Leaving her room as it was, messy and trashed and all, she teleported one last time for the night. It was time she visited the Guardians.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Security Duty**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Shutting her eyes, Lauren pictured North's Palace and pictured herself there. Upon opening her eyes, she was. Looking around, she saw that she had landed in the center of the toy making section of his palace and was being stared at peculiarly by every single Yeti in the room. Suddenly a booming voice called "Why is no one working?" He peered down in the direction a yeti was staring and saw Lauren. North was taken back a bit but then smiled. He'd expected her to stop by at some point, maybe not so early, but definitely at some point. "Come on up, will you?" he asked. Lauren jumped into the air and was suddenly right beside North. He chuckled before saying "You've been practicing." Lauren's face turned red as she nodded in reply. "Let's go to my office. I assume you're here for something important, da?"

"You've guessed it," Lauren replied, truly scared for probably the second time in her life. North took note of how terrified she looked and frowned. Lauren was just a child herself, a child burdened with the responsibility of being a Guardian. Sure, she put on a brave facade and talked like someone who had just received their Ph.D. from Cambridge, but at heart, she was a child, something that a Guardian was supposed to protect. Sitting down in a chair, North denoted to one beside it for Lauren to sit in. She did so, curling in on herself. Snapping his fingers, two elves came. One had a mug of hot chocolate in each hand while the other had a tray of sugar cookies. Lauren accepted her mug of hot chocolate but declined a cookie. If she ate anything, it would soon be showing itself for the second time.

North had eaten about three cookies before he asked, "So what seems to be the problem?"

Taking a shaky breath, Lauren clarified what she was doing here. "There was a man. He broke into my school last night. I was coming back from the Colonel's school when I saw him. I overheard him saying 'Aw, my pet. Soon our revenge shall be taken, yes, very soon. Once we have our old friend's little brat in our possession, the rest of the pieces will soon fall into play. Tell me, what news do you have of the girl?' And I think he was talking about me."

North's face paled, the cookie he was holding was broken to crumbs as he clinched his fist. He dragged his chair closer to Lauren and he said, "Tell me everything you remember about the man."

Lauren scratched the top of her head before saying "Well, he wore a thick, black, hooded cloak. He only pulled his hood back for a second and his face..." Lauren trailed off, shuddering. North patted her hand soothingly. "It... he shouldn't be alive. It looked like someone had held his face in a fire when he was little and as he grew, the skin wouldn't grow with him, it would only stretch. And he had a scythe. He used it to chop the head off of a skeleton horse, very similar to my father's Nightmares, only much more grotesque. That's all I can remember."

North rubbed his chin thoughtfully before saying "I know this man who you are describing."

Lauren perked up in interest. "You do? Who is he?"

With a heavy sigh, North responded "He is the Grim Reaper. The very embodiment of evil."

Lauren blinked before asking "Okay, but why is he looking for me?"

"When your mother first became a Guardian," North began, "roughly five hundred years ago, the first villain she ever fought was the Grim Reaper. If she hadn't of done what she did, the world would not exist today. She beat him so hard that he stayed defeated for five centuries, but her death must have finally reached his ears because Grim wouldn't dare come near you if she were still alive."

"But this man, Grim, said he was planning on seeking revenge. How can you seek revenge on someone who's dead?" Lauren inquired.

North shook his head. "I don't know." They sat in silence before North continued. "But if he was at your school as you say, then you're going to need to be under constant surveillance from this point on. You're more than welcome to stay with me at the Pole until we get him taken care of."

Before North had even finished making his offer, Lauren shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, North, but I can't abandon my friends and leave them defenseless against this guy, who will most certainly visit my school again tomorrow night." North pondered on that for a moment before standing up. He walked over to a switch and flicked it. Suddenly bright lights shone out from every direction and spread out faster than the speed of light. "What is this?" Lauren asked, reaching a hand into the light.

"That is the signal used to let the other Guardians know that you need to talk to them. When you get older and have a place of your own, you will have one as well." North explained. Not even a minute had passed when the other Guardians began showing up. When they were all gathered around North and Lauren, North turned the signal off. Instead of sugar coating it, North got straight to the point. "It's Grim. And he's trying to capture Lauren."

There was a collective gasp from everyone, everyone except Jack. "Who's Grim?" he asked.

"The Grim Reaper. The very embodiment of evil." North replied.

"That's what you said about Pitch. And, now that I think about it, every other villain we've ever faced. How evil is this guy, really?" Jack flipped his staff around and sat on North's desk.

"Grim makes your first battle with Pitch look like a game of rock, paper, scissors. I've never met someone eviler than him." Jack froze, then, not having a response to that. Humphing in success, North continued as though he hadn't been interrupted in the first place. "We need suggestions as to what to do. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"She's more than welcome to stay at my palace until this all passes over." Tooth suggested.

"No, I already offered her to stay here but she declined. Said she wouldn't leave her friends defenseless. Anyone else?" North replied, dismissing Tooth's idea.

"I could stand guard." Jack offered. "After all, Grim wouldn't be expecting me."

This was met with many heads shaking in disagreement. "Jack, you've already got a lot on your hands, mate," Bunny said as Sandy made little snowflakes out of dream sand.

"It's winter, Jack. You're needed around the world." North said.

"No, I'm needed with Lauren. She's in danger and I need to protect her. The world can be warm for a few days, but I refuse to leave her defenseless." He looked over at Lauren, knowing she would back him up and was very disappointed when he saw her shaking her head as well.

"Jack, you have a job to do and you shouldn't quit in order to protect me. And the same goes for you, North. Christmas is in just a couple of weeks and you probably have a lot to do. That can probably be said for the lot of you so having someone keep watch over me is out of the question."

Jack frowned then, before saying "There's nothing you can do to prevent me from watching over you so if you tell me not to, I still will. Or we could watch her in shifts. There's five of us. That's not even five hours a day each."

"You know what? That actually doesn't sound like such a bad idea." Tooth said.

Lauren frowned. "But whatever would you do for the five hours you were supposed to be watching me? It'd be boring."

"Not if Grim shows up, it wouldn't be," Bunny said, twirling a boomerang between his paws.

Lauren made a sound in the back of her throat before asking "Forget keeping me safe for a moment and answer me this. Why would he want to take his revenge out on me when it's my mother he's pissed off at? I know she's dead, but that doesn't explain where I come in on his plan."

"We don't get why he'd want you any more than you do. He might plan on using your powers for his own personal gain, seeing as you have the powers of your mother and your father." Tooth told her.

"If he wasn't bent on world domination he could have them. I'd give anything to be normal." The Guardians all looked at her sympathetically because they'd all gone through this stage; wanting a normal life no matter the cost. But that was never an option. You didn't choose the Guardian life, the Guardian life chose you. And if it did, you eventually had to accept it. When no one had any more speculations as to why Grim wanted to capture her, Lauren said "I don't know why you people think Jack's plan has potential. If you're with me for any amount of time, Grim could strike your place of residency and destroy it, setting you far back. North, it's so close to Christmas. Imagine what would happen if all the presents you'd already made were destroyed. Or Tooth, if all the teeth you'd collected over the past thousand years were destroyed? Then what? Bunny, if your warren were to be obliterated? Sandy, what if your dream castle were left in ruins? Jack, what... well, where do you live?"

Jack cocked a crooked grin before saying "I'm a free agent. I don't hold up in one building and I never plan to. And if you're so bent on the others not guarding you, fine, but you don't have a single excuse you can make for me to keep me away." Jack stood at attention and held his staff in a mock salute before saying "Jack Frost, reporting for bodyguard duty."

Lauren rolled her eyeballs before poking him in the ribs, making him laugh. "Fine, if you wanna waste your time and come with me, so be it. But it's not going to be fun."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Jack replied in a challenging tone.

"Oh we will, will we?" Lauren asked him.

Smiling confidently, Jack retorted "Yeah, we will."

"Hmm. We'll see about that." Lauren said, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder.

"And why is that?" Jack asked her.

"Because there's one person I still have to visit and you've just agreed to accompany me," Lauren said, a smile blossoming on her lips.

"Who? One of your cute friends?" Jack eagerly asked.

Lauren smirked before saying "Close. My father." Jack's face paled a bit. He and Pitch weren't exactly chummy with one another. "Let's get going, shall we? Because I'm about to faint from exhaustion but I think I'll manage for the next hour." Lauren laughed as Jack began muttering incoherently under his breath. She grabbed his wrist, closed her eyes, and turned her body, teleporting in the process as the Guardian's laughter faded away.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Bodyguard Duty**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Arriving at her home, Lauren called out "Father? Are you home?" as Jack looked around. Ever since Lauren had been born, Pitch and Nat had lived in a mansion so that they lived amongst humans. Pitch insisted that if they were, they might as well be classy about it so Nat agreed.

"Lauren? What on Earth are you doing here, especially at this time of night?" Pitch asked, descending the stairs. His eyes searched for Lauren and when they found her, he smiled. But upon noticing Jack, he froze and frowned all at once. Then he unfroze and quickly descended the rest of the stairs. Deciding to ignore Jack for the moment, he instead directed his attention towards Lauren and asked, "Lauren what brings you by, especially at this hour?"

Lauren chuckled, rolling her weight onto a single hip, and replied, "Well, you're not going to like it but I have some troubling news."

"Do go on," Pitch said, eyeing Jack suspiciously.

"It has nothing to do with Jack if that's what you're thinking. It's something to do with someone else, someone I'm sure you took for dead. It's the Grim Reaper. And he wants to kidnap me."

When Lauren finished, Pitch grabbed her wrist and began yanking her up the stairs, Jack had to run in order to keep up with the two of them. Pitch dragged her through nearly the entire house before arriving in his office. Once there, he made Lauren sit down and told her "Tell me exactly what happened." Lauren recalled the details for him perfectly, seeing as it had happened only a little over an hour ago. When she finished, Pitch frowned deeply. He didn't like the sound of this, not one bit. "So, let me get this straight. Grim was at your school, and more specifically in your bedroom. And he wants revenge on you."

"Yes, that's right," Lauren replied.

"And so your Guardian's best idea of protection is to leave you in the hands of Jack bloody Frost?"

Before Lauren could respond, Jack said "Yeah she's in my hands! You gotta problem with that?" Jack rested his staff against Pitch's chest.

Pitch looked from the tip of the staff to Jack and simply raised an eyebrow. "Actually I do. I was hoping one of the more competent members of your sorority would have been selected to watch over the person who arguably is the most powerful being in the universe, but seeing as you were selected they must have all been extremely busy."

"What are you implying by that, exactly, Pitch, because, if I recall correctly, during our first, and only battle, I kicked your butt. And I kicked it good." Pitch simply extended a hand and shoved Jack's staff aside. "And you also wanted me to join your side, begged really. So what's this about me being useless?"

Pitch sighed exaggeratedly before saying "Yes, all right. But if anything happens to my little girl, I will find you, and make you wish the Man in the Moon had let you drown in that pond. Do I make myself clear?"

Jack gulped before grinning and replying "Crystal."

Pitch let go of his sweatshirt and shoved him back a foot. Then he hugged Lauren tightly and whispered, "If the imbecile tries anything, let me know."

Lauren laughed before saying "He has my utmost confidence. I trust him. And I love you, father."

"I love you more, Lauren."

And with that, the two broke apart and Lauren teleported with Jack back to her room at Miss Grimwood's. Pitch sent Onyx along with them, just on the off chance something slipped by Jack.

* * *

Arriving in her room, Lauren had forgotten what an utter mess it was in. Jack looked around before saying "What happened in here?"

"Nothing much. Just the Grim Reaper attempting to kidnap me is all."

"Right. You go ahead and get some sleep while I clean up."

"Not a problem." Lauren had already found the spell she was looking for. With a wave of her hand, everything flew back to its proper location.

Jack stared at her in awe. "Wow! You've got some seriously cool powers."

Lauren shoved the book back in her drawer, waving off his compliment. "That was merely a parlor trick. I can show you some really impressive things tomorrow, that is after I've slept." and with that, she crawled into bed without even changing clothes.

Jack watched as Lauren drifted off to sleep before he let his staff rest on his shoulder and he walked around the room, idly examining Lauren's possessions. He rifled through the bookshelf, but quickly put away anything that caught his eye because they were so thick. "Ugh. How could anyone sit still for that long?" he muttered under his breath. Apart from the books, there were little trinkets laid around the books that he looked at one by one.

Once he'd looked at every angle of them, Jack moved on to the pictures. There weren't many, but he stared at them for the longest time. He'd forgotten long ago what it was like to have a bonafide family because he'd always felt like he had one with the Guardians but Lauren's relationship with Pitch was something he wasn't familiar with. He picked one of the older ones, with Lauren and Nat, and looked at it, his heartbreaking. Nat had been the first person in his life as a Guardian that Jack had ever truly loved. Her leaving him to marry Pitch and then later dying was the hardest things Jack had ever gone through.

Suddenly there was a vibrating noise. Caught off guard, Jack dropped the picture. Before he could regain his wits, the photo crashed into the floor. Quickly, he picked up the photo but it was shattered. Jack laid it on the desk and promised he'd tell Lauren in the morning. Then he went to investigate the buzzing noise. He found Lauren's cell phone and picked it up just as it vibrated again. Jack threw it up in the air in surprise but quickly caught it again. Looking at it, there was a list of notifications.

Tilting his head to the side, he touched the screen. A ripple effect panned out from where his finger touched. Intrigued, Jack began dragging his finger across the screen, watching the ripples, when suddenly the screen shifted. There was a picture of Lauren and some other people in the background with several colorful buttons over it.

One of them, a little tan camera, had the number 758 on its upper right corner. Tapping the box to see what happened, the screen changed again. This time it was a picture with 352 beside a heart. Moving his finger along the screen, pictures began flying by. Jack touched the screen again and it stopped moving. There was a small, silver button at the bottom of the phone. Curious to see what it did, Jack hit it. It brought him back to the main screen he'd been on before clicking on the tan camera.

After about twenty minutes of mashing buttons, Jack had finally gotten the gist of it. He'd even taken a picture and posted it on what he discovered to be Instagram with the comment '#HACKED' for good measure. Within the next hour, it had gained over two hundred likes and comments like 'Lauren, who's the hottie-tottie?' and 'Are you single because I am!;)' Jack had no idea what a 'hottie-tottie' was but he assumed it was a good thing.

Eventually, Jack's eyes began to burn and he set the phone back where he'd gotten it from. Then grabbing his staff and holding it against his chest, Jack leaned against the nook in the room and looked out the window. The moon was full and cast an unusually bright light on the school grounds. Jack had to cover his eyes with his hand, it was so bright out. Turning back to face Lauren, he saw that she was still sleeping peacefully. Granted, it hadn't even been two hours. But he was extremely bored. He'd already rifled through all of her possessions and messed with her phone. There was only one area of her room that Jack had not explored thoroughly and that was the bookshelf.

Getting up, Jack ghosted over to the shelf and looked at each book individually before grabbing one that looked pretty interesting. It was titled 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' and featured a dude on a broomstick and was flying. Going back over to the cushioned area by the window, Jack plunked down and began reading by the moonlight, no idea how sucked into the series he was about to become.

* * *

By the time Lauren woke up, sunlight was pouring in through the open window. She picked her phone up from the pillow it rested on and checked her notifications. After a moment, she became overwhelmingly puzzled. "Jack, how do you know anything about Instagram? Or how to work my phone?" This was met with silence. Turning around, Lauren saw Jack's head was bent behind a book. Rolling her eyes, she walked over and plucked the book out of his grasp.

"Hey!" he called indignantly, moving to grab the book back. "I was about to figure out why Sirius is so obsessed with Scabbers!"

"What?" Lauren asked, not fully understanding him.

"I began reading those books last night and I'm almost done with the third! Let me have it back!"

Jack made a grab for it but Lauren held it out of his reach. "Not until you tell me what you were doing on my phone last night."

"I got bored. Sorry."

"No, it's ok. I'm just curious as to how you figured out how to work my phone is all."

"Well, I did mess around with it for about two hours." Lauren nodded, satisfied with this answer. "That'll do it."

"Speaking of which, there's something I need to tell you." Jack sounded anxious, which made Lauren incredibly nervous.

"What? What did you post?"

"No, it has nothing to do with your phone."

Lauren's heartbeat slowed down a little, then. "Well then what is it?"

"I broke a photo," Jack explained, pointing at where the shattered picture lay.

Lauren walked over to it and gently picked it up. Then she began tracing her finger over the cracks, muttering under her breath as she did so. After a minute the cracks disappeared and the picture looked brand new.

"How did you do that?" Jack asked, intrigued.

"My father gave me a spell book a month ago and that was one of them. If you really want to see something impressive, come back in here in twenty minutes. I have to get dressed. You can guard the door while I do so." and without further ado, Lauren handed Jack back the book and shoved him out the door. Once he was out of sight, Lauren stripped over her clothes before pulling on a simple sweater, jeans, and boots. She pocketed her spellbook and phone before opening the door back for Jack.

He walked in and looked her up and down before leaning on his staff and sighing. "You look beautiful," he told her, giving her his most dashing smile.

Lauren raised an eyebrow before saying "I'm glad you think so. It means my boyfriend will think the same." And she shoved off of the doorway before exiting the hallway. "Follow me. And shut the door on your way out." Lauren commanded before walking down the hall.

Jack used his staff to shut the door before jogging off after Lauren. She was already descending the stairs when Jack reached the top. Hoping on the banister, he easily slid down, passing her as he went. Lauren laughed as Jack leaped off, did a flip, and landed squarely on his feet. She clapped dramatically before saying "I'm impressed. I thought your head was so full of hot air you'd stop mid flip and continue to float."

"Haha. You're so funny." Jack replied sarcastically.

Lauren placed a hand on her heart and smiled before saying "You think so? Aw, that's so sweet."

Jack rolled his eyes as she laughed and poked him in the ribs.

"C'mon. Let's get going." Lauren instructed, walking towards the door.

"Race you there!" Jack replied, running past her. He threw open the door, bent his knees, and pushed off of the ground.

Lauren ran out the door, closed it shut, and shouted, "You don't even know where I was taking us!"

"I'll figure it out!" Jack shouted back from the air, flying in lazy circles.

Lauren teleported from the ground to the air beside him and replied "We'll see about that." and she shot off, Jack closely tailing her. Looking back to see Jack on her heels, Lauren dove for the ground, and disappeared into the trees. Jack dove down after her, but she'd lost him amongst the trees. Stopping for a minute, Jack looked around, straining his hearing. "Slowpoke," Lauren whispered in his ear, appearing out of nowhere. Jack flew ten feet forward in surprise. Lauren laughed and shot upward, breaking the treeline.

Jack grinned, enjoying the challenge, before following her. He checked the skies before saw her flying about a hundred feet in the distance. Whistling, Jack called up the strongest wind he could muster and used it to catch up to Lauren. He was five feet behind her when suddenly Lauren disappeared. Confused, Jack spun in a circle. Obviously, she'd teleported again.

"Down here!" a voice called up to him.

Peering at the ground, Jack finally saw Lauren, who was throwing a ball of fire. When Jack was just a couple dozen yards away, Lauren threw the ball of fire into the lake and it fizzled out. Jack landed on the ground beside her and said, "You know, for someone who just discovered all of the powers she has, you're a really good flyer."

"That means an awful lot coming from you, Jack," Lauren replied genuinely.

"You best believe it does. I love a challenge."

"Please. I had the race won before it even started. That's not a challenge, that's out of your league."

"That was beginner's luck, princess."

"Mmhmm. You wish."

Jack rolled his eyes before saying "So what were those awesome powers you dragged me out here to see?"

"Because conjuring a ball of fire isn't cool enough for you? Tough crowd." Lauren replied.

Jack flew over to a large rock by the edge of the lake and laid down on it, tucking his arms behind his head. "Impress me," he commanded.

Lauren flicked her index finger up and the rock Jack was lying on was suddenly airborne, Jack along with it. He rolled over so that he could hug the rock tightly. Smiling, Lauren spun her finger in a tight circle, the rock following the path. Slowly, Lauren panned the circle out and eventually brought it to a stop.

Jack looked a little green. "Please... stop." he groaned.

In approval of that response, Lauren gently set the rock back on the ground. "That was just a small demonstration of the powers I learned."

"That was admittedly extremely cool, even though I felt like I was going to puke."

"I can bend other elements apart from earth and fire. I can bend air." And for demonstration, Lauren made a small tornado chase after some ants on the ground before she called it off. "And water." to elaborate on this, she raised both of her hands, causing a large wave of lake water to rise. Spinning her hands in different directions, she caused the wave to spin up into the air before allowing it to crash in on itself. She turned back to look at Jack, who was nodding his head in approval.

"That was impressive, very impressive. What else ya got?"

Lauren smiled before replying "I'm glad you asked." She waved both of her hands like that of a conductor.

Jack jumped to the ground and covered his face with his arms. "Please don't spin me around, again," he begged.

"I wasn't going to. Why don't you get up and look around?"

Jack uncovered his face and began looking around as he stood up. What he saw took his breath away. In a single second, Lauren had managed to grow hundreds of thousands of flowers around the lake, each color vibrant and more beautiful than the next. There were bushes covered in heliotrope orchids, mauve lilies, and golden gazanias. There were pink plumeria and chrysanthemums, an array of dahlias, and birds of paradise. From the trees sprouted magnolias, golden sassafras, pink redbuds, flowering dogwoods, flowering crabapples, fringe trees, chaste trees, crape myrtles, Japanese maples, and weeping willows. On the water, water lilies floated.

"Wow," Jack whispered quietly under his breath. His eyes hungrily ate the scene, savoring every little plant. He slowly made his way over to Lauren, spinning in circles as he went in order to see everything. Once by Lauren's side, he smiled and flipped his hair out of his eyes. "Your mom used to do stuff like this all the time. She'd sneak into orphanages and other depressing looking places and grow the most amazing plants for the people to make their lives a little better. She always went out of her way to put other people before herself."

Suddenly Lauren flung her arms around Jack and gave him a tight hug. "I'm sorry that I've been such a jerk to you, Jack. You don't deserve me to be treating you the way I have been."

"Don't sweat it, Lauren. I did kiss you, knowing you did had a boyfriend. And I've been a bit of a pain myself so it's all good."

"Thanks." The two pulled apart when suddenly Onyx jumped out of the bushes. Jack leaped back while Lauren ran forward. "Onyx? What are you doing here? Especially in the daylight?" Onyx, not being able to speak English, made some distressed noises in the back of his throat. Jack watched the exchange between Lauren and the Nightmare, and as Lauren's face quickly paled. "Jack, we have to get back to the school now!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Mother Nature's Arrows**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC

* * *

She jumped onto Onyx's back and motioned for Jack to do so as well. Grabbing his staff, Jack jumped onto the Nightmare's back and loosely held onto Lauren's waist. Sighing, Lauren said "You might want to hold on tighter." and a second later, Onyx dived directly into the forest, heading for a shadow at the base of a tree. Not even a second later, the three had arrived at the school.

What Lauren saw made her want to be sick. There were skeletons leaving the castle, each one carrying a net in which a ghoul was being carted off in. She was ready to jump into action when she heard a piercing scream. "Where is she? She goes to school here so where is she? Why isn't she here?" It was the Grim Reaper. Lauren's grip on Onyx tightened so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"We have to help them!" Lauren whispered. Jack reached for her hands and restrained them.

"No, Lauren. Doing something now wouldn't help them at all! Let's follow them and see what we can learn before playing rescue mission." Jack advised.

"They're my friends, Jack, and I can't just let them get abducted!" Lauren shouted in a quiet voice, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

"We won't, I promise. Listen to me, I have done this sort of thing plenty of times and am more qualified than you to call the shots. Let's follow the skeletons and let them lead us to Grim's lair. We can then get your friends to safety and call upon the Guardians to take care of him." Lauren pondered Jack's plan for about a second before agreeing. Smiling with relief, Jack said "Okay. We'll sit here until we're positive that they're all gone." Onyx stayed put in the shadows as the five skeletons with her friends disappeared. That meant Miss Grimwood was still at the school with Grim. It took all of Lauren's self-control to not jump up and punch him in the nose. But Jack pressed against her, steadying her. Eventually Grim came out of the school with Miss Grimwood with him. Once he was a good distance away, Lauren sent Onyx off. They flew after Grim who, after just an hour, began to lower. He touched the ground in a clearing in the woods. Lauren landed Onyx on the edge of the forest as Grim got off his skeleton. Lauren felt a sick feeling enter her stomach. Miss Grimwood wasn't with him.

Suddenly a laugh filled the air. "I know you're there. Why don't you come out of hiding?" Lauren, Jack, and Onyx remained silent, hardly daring to breathe. "Very well. If you won't come out on your own, I'll make you come out." At that, there was a whooshing noise and dozens of skeletons emerged from the woods. "Goodbye, Lauren Black and Jack Frost," Grim said, entering the building with a laugh.

Onyx backed up into the clearing as Lauren and Jack slid off of his back. "Onyx, you don't have to stay if you don't want to," Lauren said. Onyx simply looked at her. He was staying. Lauren patted him on the head

before saying "You're such a good Nightmare." Then she took a step back and set her hands on fire. Jack lifted his staff. Onyx simply hit the ground with his hoof. The three of them formed a tight triangle. When the skeletons emerged from the forest, Jack extended his staff and blasted five of them. They froze and exploded, but five immediately took their place. Lauren formed a ball of fire in her hands and threw it as hard as possible at the horde, wiping out a good section of them. But that section was instantly refilled. Onyx beat against the ground and a giant hole in the earth formed. A group of skeletons fell into it, but the skeletons that didn't just avoided the hole all together, looking unphased. Jack continued to blast them with ice, Onyx continued to open holes in the ground, and Lauren continued to shoot fire out of her hands, but it wasn't doing a bit of good. Whenever a skeleton was taken out, another would take its place. Lauren knew that if they didn't start gaining a little ground, it would be hopeless. She, Jack, and Onyx would certainly be overtaken and her friends would either remain Grim's prisoners for the rest of eternity or be killed. She could live with herself dying, but the others? Their deaths weren't optional. Feeling heat boil up in her chest, Lauren watched the fire in her hands fizzle out and was replaced by a bow. On her back, a quill of arrows formed. Yanking one out, Lauren strung it on the bow, aimed, and fired. Not once in her life had she ever picked up a bow and arrow, let alone fire one, yet the arrow pierced the skeleton in the forehead and it vanished in a puff. And it didn't stop there. The arrow continued to pass through skeletons, traveling in a straight line until there were no more skeletons to pass through and it struck a tree before magically disappearing. Lauren's eyes bulged and she wasn't the only one.

"Lauren, did you just conjure your mom's bow and arrow?" Jack asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I did," Lauren replied, stringing another arrow. She fired arrow after arrow, not giving the skeletons a second to see it coming. After another ten minutes of firing arrows, shooting ice, and opening holes in the ground, all of the skeletons had been reduced to dust. Not even panting, Lauren ran into the house Grim had disappeared into. She had an arrow strung and was ready to fire. Jack and Onyx entered after her. They searched every nook and cranny of the house, but Grim was nowhere to be seen.

"He must have left during the fight," Jack muttered viciously.

"No, he would have left some clue as to where his real hideout it. He must have." Lauren said in a determined voice, putting away the arrow and putting the bow on her arm. They came across a small room on the first floor and looked around it. Lauren made a beeline for the bookshelf and felt around it. She had seen enough movies to be suspicious of any bookcase in an old house owned by a creepy dude. At the top of the case, there was a small button. Lauren mashed down on it victoriously and the case swung open to reveal a set of stairs. "And people say watching television is a waste of time," Lauren muttered, conjuring a flame to see by.

She descended the stairs, Jack and Onyx directly behind her. At the bottom of the stairs, she threw the fireball up in the air and it hovered there, casting bright life around the room. Lauren found a map in the corner and called Jack over.

He examined it closely before saying "I know where that is."

"Then let's go!" Lauren eagerly exclaimed.

Jack frowned before saying "We need to get the Guardians, first. We almost lost out there and this wasn't even Grim's main fortress. Where he is now is going to have a hundred times the amount of skeletons we just faced. We need the others if we want to even make it within a mile of the place."

"Fine. You take Onyx to North's. I'll gather everyone else." Lauren relented before teleporting away. She had a vague idea of where each Guardian lived and was surprised she had arrived at Tooth's on her first go. Looking around, Lauren was stunned. Tooth's palace was beautiful. It was a palace not unlike those found in the Middle East, except there were no walls, but simply ornately decorated pillars holding up the roof. More astounding than the building was the thousands of mini-fairies that were flying around the place, flying in and out, some with teeth, others on the way to obtain teeth. Lauren took to the air and flew around in search of Tooth. She found her amongst a swarm of mini-fairies, rapidly telling them where to find teeth at. "Tooth!" she called out to her.

Tooth's head perked up and when her eyes met Lauren's, she waved and flew over to her. "Hey, Lauren! What brings you by?"

She didn't have time to sugarcoat anything so she simply said "Grim. He attacked my school and kidnapped my friends and teacher. Jack is with North, and I need you to come with me right now."

Tooth's face hardened as she replied "I'm in. Let's fly."

Lauren shook her head. "Flying will take much too long. Have you ever teleported before?" Tooth shook her head. Lauren gently grabbed Tooth's wrist and twisted her body.

In a second, they were inside Bunny's warren. Not a minute later, the two girls saw Bunny hopping in their direction. "What are you two Sheila's doin' in my warren?" he asked.

"It's Grim." Tooth told him quietly.

Bunny didn't ask for details, he simply said "Let's go." and tapped on the ground, creating an underground tunnel.

Lauren shook her head. "That'll take too long." She grabbed Bunny's paw with her free hand and teleported them to Sandy's dream palace.

They found him asleep on a perfectly circular bed. Lauren exchanged looks with Tooth and Bunny who both shrugged. Slowly, Lauren crept up to Sandy and prodded him in the shoulder. It was to no avail, he stayed asleep. Lauren gave him a couple more pokes before he finally leaped up and out of bed, confused. When he saw Lauren, Tooth, and Bunny, he formed a golden question mark above his head. "It's Grim. He's kidnapped my friends and may plan on killing the lot of them. I need your help."

Sandy made a determined face and walked over to Tooth and Bunny. "Everyone clasp hands," Lauren instructed. When they were all connected, she spun her body, teleporting them to the pole.

Once at the pole, they let go of each other's hands and looked for North and Jack. "North, they're here," Jack said. North turned away from the window and he and Jack joined the others.

"Lauren, tell us exactly what happened." North implored of her.

"It's Grim," Lauren began, tears streaming down her face. "He broke into my school and kidnapped all of my friends and my teacher. I think he might want to kill them, or at the very least use them against me. I need your help to rescue them."

"Well, you know I'm helping you," Jack said. "I mean, what kind of bodyguard would I be if I didn't?"

"Count me in, too." Tooth added.

Sandy made a series of shapes above his head before nodding. Lauren took that as a yes. Bunny flipped a boomerang out and twirled it around in his paw. "I'm in as well, mate."

North rested his hands against the handles of his swords before replying "I'm in, too."

Lauren was at a loss for words but smiled gratefully at them. Everyone was silent for a minute, appreciating the comradeship they all shared. North interrupted the silence and ordered "Everyone in the sleigh!" As they ran to the sleigh, North asked Jack and Lauren "Which one of you knows where we're going?"

"I do," Jack replied.

"Then you be in charge of snow globe." North delegated, handing one to Jack. He extended his hands and took it. The sleigh was ready for them when they arrived. North jumped in the front, Jack and Lauren one row behind him, the rest of the Guardians filed in somewhere behind them. Taking the reins, North wrapped them around his hands and sent the reindeer off.

As they flew, Lauren asked Jack "Where'd Onyx go?"

"He left as soon as we got here. I don't know where he went." Jack told her softly.

Lauren pondered this for a moment as Jack threw the snow globe into the air. A portal formed and the sleigh flew into it. Once on the other side, they found themselves staring at an ominous looking castle. "Is this...?" Lauren trailed off, unable to speak as her throat swelled up.

"Yep. This is Grim's lair." Jack replied, understanding her unasked question. As soon as he'd spoken, skeletons came out of nowhere and swarmed around the sleigh.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: A Happy Reunion**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

* * *

"He knows we're here!" Bunny said, altering the rest. Sandy created a dreamsand whip, Bunny pulled out of his boomerangs, North handed the reins to Tooth before drawing his swords, Jack gripped his staff, and Lauren drew her bow and arrows. She fired an arrow and Jack shot a blast of ice and suddenly a war began. There were at least one hundred skeletons coming at them from every direction and the sleigh would soon be overtaken if something didn't happen quickly.

Lauren fired a rapid succession of arrows, Jack blasted a wide ring of ice, Bunny threw his boomerangs, Sandy whipped his whip, and North sliced them apart with his swords, but, just like in the clearing earlier, it wasn't doing them much good. It was looking a bit hopeless, and this time Lauren didn't have a secret weapon to bust out. Clearing her head of thoughts like that, she took aim at the skeleton that was nearing her and was about to fire when something got to it first. It collided with the skeleton with the force of a train, causing it to burst into dust. Having not expected that to happen, Lauren lowered her bow. What she saw made her smile. "Onyx? Is that you?" The Nightmare looked up at the sound of his name and neighed loudly. Then he went back to doing his work. Suddenly the sky was full of Nightmares who were battling with the skeletons. Lauren had never seen this many Nightmares before.

To her right, there was a heavy thud. Lauren whirled around, ready to shoot the skeleton, only to find out it wasn't a skeleton or a Nightmare. It was her father. And he did not look pleased. "Lauren? Care to expl- What is that?"

Lauren looked at where he was staring before replying "I finally figured out how to conjure mother's bow and arrows. Impeccable timing, too."

"And where'd you learn how to do that?" Pitch asked her, his heart pounding at the sight of his beloved's weapon.

"The Guardians helped me. And the bow and arrows aren't the only power they helped me develop." She would have gone on but about two dozen skeletons had gotten past the Nightmares and were heading for the sleigh.

Pitch jumped up in the air and brought forth a fleet of Nightmares to shield the sleigh. "You lot go on! I'll hold the skeletons off!"

North nodded, taking the reins from Tooth and speeding the sleigh off towards the castle. North landed the sleigh on the roof and the Guardians entered the building. There wasn't much security, probably because most of the skeletons were out fighting the Nightmares. Still, Lauren drew an arrow and strung it on the bow. She leads the way down the hallway when suddenly "Why, Lauren, Jack, what a surprise! You made it past my skeletons in the clearing, as well as those outside, and brought along the Guardians! Oh, how wonderful! You've brought along more people whom you can watch die."

"You won't lay a hand on them, Grim. I've come for my friends, and we will get them." Lauren growled at him.

Grim smiled, then, and said in a mocking tone, "Oh, of course, you can have them back, Lauren, why didn't you just ask? Would getting them back in pieces be a bit of a setback?"

Lauren snarled and drew back the arrow, leveling it with Grim's head. "Say that again, I dare you."

If that was meant to deter Grim, Lauren was disappointed. With a grotesque grin, he claimed "Feisty, just like your mother. It will make taking my revenge out on you feel all the more real."

"Kidnapping my friends is the only revenge you will be taking because I will not let you continue this plan." Lauren spat at him.

"Is that so?" Grim asked. "Well, then. I guess you want to do this the hard way. And by that, I mean it will be hard for you. Either way, it's going to be fun for me." The Guardians all took fighting stances. Grim sighed before saying "Have it your way." He backed away into the shadows as skeletons began moving forward.

As they approached North said "Lauren, go look for your friends! We'll hold the skeletons off!" Lauren nodded and pushed off the ground. Once in the air, she zoomed past the skeletons and headed off down the hallway. There was a stairwell that she shot down and then entered another hallway. She slowed down until she was hovering and let her feet touch down. Lauren tried the doorknob but it was locked. She threw her shoulder into it but that didn't do any good either. Backing up a bit, Lauren kicked the door down and entered. Looking around, Lauren saw a familiar purple haired figure resting in the corner. She looked paler than usual and extremely thin. Lauren rushed over to where Sibella was lying and knelt down beside her. "Sibella! Can you hear me?" because 'Are you okay?' wasn't an appropriate question for the moment.

Sibella's eyes fluttered open, rolling around before finally making contact with Lauren's. Suddenly Sibella felt an awful burn in her throat that made her gasp in pain. It took Lauren only one glance to know what she needed. It took Sibella the same amount of time to know what Lauren was about to attempt. "No, Lauren! I can't allow you to do that!" But it was too late. Lauren had already extended her left arm and used the pocket knife Tug had given her for her birthday to cut a gash at her wrist, right over Sibella's mouth. Sibella's protests were cut short as soon as the first drop of blood entered her mouth. Her thirst awakening, even more, Sibella's hands grasped Lauren's arm and brought it down to her mouth before sucking as much blood as quickly as possible. As this took place, Lauren wiped the blood off of her knife onto her pants leg before flipping it shut and sliding it back into his pocket. She let Sibella drink her fill as she began to feel a little light headed. Finally, Sibella released Lauren's arm with a gasp and the wound instantly sealed itself shut. Not taking her eyes off of Sibella, Lauren watched as she wiped the blood from her face before gasping "How could you let me do that? I could have killed you!"

"And live with the alternative of you slowly starving to death? I know you don't need blood but once a month but you've gone nearly a month and a half without drinking any! So I didn't particularly care whose blood it was as long as you got some. And to appease your worry of killing me, you couldn't have no matter how hard you tried. Nuclear radiation might be the only thing that could actually do me in. You draining me of bloody is physically impossible because no matter how heavy I'm bleeding, my heart will always pump enough blood through my veins so that I have the standard eight quarts. So you see, I really had no other choice but to provide you with some of my own blood for there is no better substitute for the job." and with that winning appeal, Lauren gave a small smile and pulled Sibella into a tight hug which the vampiress gladly returned. "I'm just thankful to know that you're safe," Lauren added, a few tears slipping out of her eyes. She had been waiting for the tears to overtake her ever since she watched her friends being carted off by skeletons.

"I am now that you're here. Thanks for coming to rescue me." Sibella told her appreciatively.

"Well, you're not rescued yet so c'mon. Let's get out of here and find the others."

And with that, Lauren grabbed Sibella's hand and ran out of the room. Assuming that the other rooms down the hall housed the rest of her friends, Lauren kicked down the door that leads to the room right beside Sibella's. Inside she found Winnie, who, unlike Sibella, was chained to the wall. Kneeling beside her, Lauren produced the knife again and used it to pick the lock on the cuffs. Pulling them off, Lauren put her knife away and examined Winnie's skin. Where the metal had touched her, it had burned her skin. Gingerly holding Winnie's paws, Lauren shut her eyes and concentrated intently, and opened her eyes when it was done. Winnie's skin was back to normal. Examining the metal, a disgusted look crossed Lauren's face. "Silver. He used silver, that sick, son of a-" Lauren took a deep breath before pulling Winnie closer to her. Winnie hugged her back as Lauren said, "I'm so glad to have you back, Winnie." Then she placed her hands on Winnie's shoulders and pushed her back, examining her closely. "Apart from your wrists, were you hurt anywhere else?"

"No, it was just my wrists. He only attached them to me after I tried to escape. Said if I attempted that again, he'd make me wear a silver choke collar and a pair of silver glasses, telling me that if my neck burned and I went blind that I wouldn't want to bother escaping for the third time." Winnie choked out, clearly shaken.

Lauren didn't even let Winnie finish. She pulled the werewolf closer to her and hugged her for a second time. "You're safe now, Winnie. He'll never touch you again, or be able to for that matter, once I'm through with him. Now let's go free the others." The three left Winnie's cell and Lauren kicked down the door to the next one. Inside was Tanis. She was buried up to her neck in sand. Lauren, Sibella, and Winnie quickly dug her out before Lauren picked her up and pulled her into a hug. "Tanis, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little stiff. And there's a lot of sand in my bandagin'." Lauren unwound the bandages from Tanis before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a fresh roll of bandages. She carefully applied the fresh ones, poorly restraining her tears. Then, using what she'd learned from taking health science, and more specifically the physical therapy portion of it, Lauren expertly massaged Tanis's muscles until they felt better. She'd been in that sand for at least a couple of hours and they were bound to be sore.

"Tanis, do you feel well enough to walk or would you prefer me to carry you? We still have to find Elsa, Phantasma, and Miss Grimwood and it might be a while before we've done that." Lauren asked, roughly wiping away her tears with the heel of her hand.

"No, I can walk," Tanis replied. Lauren smiled encouragingly at her before leading the way to the next cell. Inside was Phantasma. She was trapped in a spherical container. Lauren rested her hands against it, getting a feel for the surface. Phantasma took note of this and began talking. All Lauren could see was her mouth moving, meaning it must have been made out of a soundproof material. Realizing that she wasn't being heard,

Phantasma pointed to the wall. And more specifically, the button panel on it. Lauren ran over to it and slammed her fist onto the green button. As soon as she did it, the enclosure in which Phantasma was trapped in opened up and the ghoul collapsed onto the ground. "Phantasma!" Lauren cried, running over to the ghoul. She attempted to help her up, but her touch went through Phantasma's shoulder. "No! C'mon, Phanty, wake up! I know you can hear, now wake up!" Lauren cried, her voice on the edge of insanity.

Slowly, Phantasma's eyes fluttered open and she sat up. "The cell had a stronger force of gravity and was too strong for even me to float in. The gravity that's pulling me down now is so weak compared to what I'd been confined to that I passed out for a second. Just like if you were to be placed in a room with only half the amount of air, your body would eventually pass out." Phantasma weakly explained.

Lauren attempted to hug Phantasma again but ghosted right through her, again. This was troubling. If she couldn't touch Phantasma, she couldn't heal her. Time to delegate. "Tanis, Winnie, Sibella, you three stay here with Phantasma. I'll be back with Elsa and Miss Grimwood in a couple of minutes. Just stay here. When I leave, barricade the door and don't open it for anyone except me, Elsa, or Miss Grimwood." And with that, Lauren stood up and made her way toward the door when she heard footsteps. Turning around, she saw that all four of them were standing up and following her. "What are you doing?"

"We're not letting you leave without us," Tanis replied.

"I'll be coming back," Lauren reassured them.

"We're going with you, Lauren." Phantasma told her plainly.

"But you've all been starved, injured, and weakened-" Lauren argued.

"That doesn't mean we're not helping our friends. And the longer we stand here arguing about such a stupid thing, the worse off Elsa and Miss Grimwood will be when we get to them." Sibella retorted.

"Yeah, Lauren, we're going with you," Winnie added.

Lauren smiled, wiping the tears from her face, and said "Okay. Let's go bust down the next door." Lauren ran out into the hallway and reduced the door to nothing more than splinters. Then they ran inside to see Elsa, submerged in a tub of water, and being charged at the same time. Every time the charge came into contact with her bolts, electricity coursed through her body, electrocuting her through the water. Lauren quickly cut the cords that connected to Elsa's bolts and used her control over water to evaporate every drop of water out of the tub. The girls were too scared to ask when she'd learned how to do that.

Elsa panted as Lauren helped her out of the tub. "I thought I'd never get out of there!" She threw her arms around Lauren, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you!"

Lauren embraced Elsa back, tears slipping down her face as she did so. After a bit, she pulled back and asked, "Are you still in pain?"

"A little," Elsa replied, wiping her eyes.

Lauren placed her palms on Elsa's cheeks and shut her eyes. Her mother had had the power to heal people simply by touching them and it was time for Lauren to see if she had managed to get that power as well. After a minute, she pulled her palms away and asked Elsa "Do you feel any better?"

"Loads! Where'd you learn to do that?" Elsa asked in awe.

"I sorta inherited it from my mother," Lauren replied before setting to work on the other ghouls. Once she'd healed them as well as she possibly could, they went to find Miss Grimwood. There was one last door in the hallway so Lauren kicked it open. After looking around, she spotted Miss Grimwood sitting in the corner, hands over her ears, face in her knees. "Miss Grimwood!" Lauren cried, running over to her teacher.

She knelt down beside her, getting her to lift her face up. "Lauren? Is that really you? However, did you get in here? What about the other girls?"

Miss Grimwood hovered near insanity when Lauren said "They're fine. They're all fine. I've brought them with me. They've all been taken care of and healed. Right now, I'm more worried about you. Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" Miss Grimwood shook her head, but Lauren still placed her palms against the woman's cheeks and healed her. Pulling her hands away, Lauren asked, "How are you feeling now Miss Grimwood?"

"A lot better, Lauren. Thank you." Miss Grimwood appreciatively said.

Lauren waved the compliment off before standing up and helping Miss Grimwood to her feet. "C'mon. There are a few very special friends of mine that I want you to meet." Lauren drew her magical bow and strung an arrow onto it, pointing it down and holding it loosely.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Tanis asked her.

"My mother had a lot of powers that I've only recently discovered that I have as well. This magical bow and arrow are one of them." Lauren led them up the stairs, checking every corner before venturing into the open. She was about to usher the ghouls down a hallway when she saw a shadow on the ground. It was a shadow of a horse. Lauren drew an arrow back, ready to fire when the horse entered her line of sight. She immediately lowered the bow. It wasn't a skeleton, but a Nightmare. And a familiar one at that. "Onyx!" Lauren whispered. The Nightmare's head snapped over to where the sound of its name had come from, saw Lauren, jumped into the closest shadow, and appeared beside Lauren, all within a second. She rubbed the Nightmare's mane before looking over at the ghouls. "Girls, this is Onyx, my father's top Nightmare. Don't worry about us getting into trouble or being captured now because this vicious creature will make sure that won't happen. Isn't that right, Onyx?" Lauren said in a cooing voice. The Nightmare nodded his head. After a moment, Lauren, now with Onyx, continued to lead the ghouls down the hall. Even though they were below ground, Lauren could hear the battle that was being raged outside. And apparently, so could the ghouls, for they were all cringing. Lauren stopped walking and turned to face them. "It's going to be okay. Our side is winning the fight upstairs because I brought a couple of very special friends of mine to help us. I'm going to call down a couple of my father's Nightmares down here to guard you lot before I head up. No matter what you hear, don't leave this spot unless I come get you."

"No, Lauren! You can't leave!" Phantasma cried out, shocked that she would suggest such a thing.

"Yeah, you could get hurt!" Sibella added, flailing her arms as she spoke.

"Or killed!" chimed Elsa, equally settled on getting Lauren to stay put.

"We can't lose you!" Winnie sobbed loudly.

"We love you too much!" Sibella vocalized everyone's thoughts then, desperate not to lose their eldest friend.

"I don't want you to go!" Tanis pleaded, tugging on Lauren's shirt.

"Me neither!" added Elsa as they all gazed sadly at Lauren.

Lauren smiled at their vehement protests but still shook her head. "I have to help them. In fact, I may be the only person who can end this. I cannot not go help them. If I don't, we all may very well die." And ending on that positive note, Lauren pulled the whistle out of her pocket and blew into it. Ten Nightmares appeared not a second later. Lauren forced the whistle back into her pocket and said "Take them into one of the cells and don't let anyone but myself, my father, or the Guardians in. If it's Grim or the skeletons, kill them on the spot. Your top priority is to keep these six safe, no matter what's going on upstairs in the battle. We'll manage." Lauren watched as the Nightmares nodded before hopping onto Onyx's back, slid her bow off of her shoulder, selected an arrow, strung it, and gently squeezed Onyx's torso with her knees. Getting the message, the Nightmare dove into the nearest shadow.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: A Fair Trade**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

When they popped out into the open, Lauren and Onyx were suddenly in the heart of a battle. Taking to the skies, Onyx snapped apart skeletons while Lauren fired at them with her never-ending supply of arrows. She was looking for her father or a Guardian, someone who could fill her in on what was happening when Jack flew by. Upon seeing Lauren, Jack backpedaled in the sky, fighting alongside her. "Mind filling me in?" she asked as she lined the arrow along his shoulder and fired, shishkabobing five skeletons in a row just as Jack laid his staff along her back to fire at several skeletons that were closing in on her.

"It's pretty neck and neck at the moment. And I haven't seen Grim this whole battle, believe me, or else it would be over with him encased in ice on the ground." Jack informed her.

"Well, if I get to him," Lauren said, pausing to fire an arrow, "I won't let him live. Not after what he's done. If I find him, I'm going to kill him." And with that, she pushed Onyx higher into the sky so that she could get a better vantage point. Jack watched her go before diving back into battle, taking out his frustration on every skeleton within the vicinity. Meanwhile, from up in the sky, Lauren had an extreme vantage point. She could see everything from where she was. She fired arrow after arrow at the skeletons, trying to hit the ones nearest her friends. It got a bit more confusing when there were Nightmares involved, but Lauren's arrows didn't seem to harm them. She was too focused on the battle to miss. Or focus on her surroundings. Onyx let out a shrill cry of warning but it was too late. Grim came riding out of the clouds above her on a skeleton and brandished his scythe. He aimed for Lauren and knocked her off of Onyx. Turning her body so that her back was to the ground, Lauren pulled the string back on her bow and began firing arrow after arrow at Grim, who seemed to have forgotten that she could fly. As she fired, Onyx traveled until he was directly underneath Lauren, who landed soundly on his back. Grim was a foot away from them when Lauren grabbed hold of Onyx's mane and teleported the two of them. Grim looked confused at first, and then angry. He let out a bellowing rage and was too consumed to notice Lauren was now behind him. Taking careful aim, she shot the skeleton he was riding directly in the head. It turned to dust and Grim plummeted to the ground. Lauren directed Onyx to follow him, and the two spiraled downward, keeping an eye out in case Grim managed to land on the back of a skeleton. Finally arriving on the ground, Lauren slid off of Onyx and drew an arrow. She saw Grim lying in a heap and was about to walk over when a skeleton came out of nowhere and knocked her into the sky. Mid-knock, she started to fly, froze her position, and shot the skeleton. There was no way she could kill Grim with all of the skeletons still alive, so she sheathed her arrow, strapped her bow to her shoulder, and shut her eyes. She had practiced this a bit before, but never at the scale, she intended to use. Holding out her palms, Lauren began to glow until her entire body was golden. Then she opened her eyes, which were no longer blue but gold as well, and cried "ENOUGH!" In that second, the gold expanded her body to cover the entire battlefield, and every skeleton was instantly vaporized. The Guardians, Pitch, and the Nightmares all had to shield their eyes from the harshness of it. After a minute, it slowly faded until all that was left was Lauren, standing in the field. She turned towards Grim, pulled out her bow, and strung an arrow on it before she began approaching him.

Grim looked up at her approach and began to clap. "Congratulations. You found my hideout, freed your friends, survived my skeletons not once, but three times, and have annihilated them all. But in the end, what do you gain from it? I look into your eyes and I know you want to kill me, want me to bleed out until the last drop of life has left me. It's the one thing I always know; death. You want revenge on me for the way I treated your friends. But that really doesn't seem fair, does it? All they received was a little psychological scarring, and you want to rob me of my very existence for it? There must be another motive because I know your heart, Lauren Black, and it is not the heart of a killer."

By this point, Pitch and the Guardians were all on the ground, listening. Lauren fixed him with a hard glare before saying "I don't need any other motive than you hurting my friends. They wouldn't be alive, the lot of them, if I'd arrived any later. Sibella would have starved to death, Winnie would have burned to death, you were suffocating Tanis, weakening Phantasma, and electrocuting Elsa! Miss Grimwood is on the verge of insanity, not knowing what was happening to them, not knowing if anyone of them would have made it out alive! And for what, so you could kidnap me? All you had to do was threaten my friends and I would have done anything you said."

Grim sniggered softly before asking "But where's the fun in that? Revenge is supposed to be elaborate, you make the person feel pain in every way imaginable. It's your own fault your heart is too loving, too compassionate. And as to the matter of your friends getting captured, maybe if they were better monsters they wouldn't have been captured."

"My friends are children, Tanis is six years old! How could they have possibly fought against you and your army of monsters? They shouldn't have to fight, or know fear, or pain! They should know love, kindness, and compassion! You took away their very innocence! They'll never be the same again!" Lauren shouted, tears streaking down her face.

"You flatter me," Grim said, sporting what could only be called a blush. "I was merely trying to lure you here. They were merely semantics, a casual bit on the sidelines if you will. Getting you was my main focus."

This just made Lauren even more upset. "Semantics? The torture of defenseless children is a bit more than semantics! It's sick!"

"Your mother said the same thing when I was telling her what I planned on doing to you, funnily enough," Grim said, his upper lip curling into a cruel smirk.

This caught Lauren off guard. "What did you just say?" she quietly inquired.

"I can't believe you hadn't worked it out yet. Overpollution of the Earth didn't kill your mother. I did." Grim informed her with a large smile.

Lauren's ears began to ring. The man kneeling before her hadn't just kidnapped and tortured her friends. He had also murdered her mother. Blinking for a second, she knew what to do. "I suppose it's a fair trade now," she said, snapping the arrow back to her ear, aimed, and released. It flew through the air before meeting its mark, landing right in Grim's forehead. As soon as the arrow struck him, Grim began to dissolve. He blew apart bit by bit into the wind until all that was left of him was his cloak. Lauren stood there for a second, her chest heaving before she magicked away the bow and arrow and fell to her knees. She had just killed her mother's killer, the torturer of her friends, and the man that had attempted to murder her several times, but merely stood there, frozen to the spot upon which she stood.

"Lauren?" A voice called. Lauren looked up, expecting it to be on the Guardians, but it was the ghouls. The Nightmares had brought them up from the cell.

Tears springing up from her eyes, Lauren ran towards them. She hugged each ghoul for the longest time each. When the last hug had been given out, Lauren wiped the tears from her eyes and said "It's over, just like I promised. We can go home now."

Miss Grimwood stepped forward, then, and said "Lauren, I owe you a lot of thanks. Not only did you find us, but you freed us, healed us, and we're only going home now because of you. When those skeletons were kidnapping us back at the school, I couldn't do a thing to stop them. But you did. You stopped all of them. I may be older, much, much older, and therefore may be considered more experienced, but you are obviously the more qualified individual for the job."

"Miss Grimwood, what are you talking about?" Lauren asked her.

She took Lauren's hands in her own before saying "I think it's time I step down from teaching. I'd like you to be the new mistress of my school. We'll obviously have to rename it, but apart from that, nothing will need to change."

When Miss Grimwood didn't add 'Just kidding', Lauren blinked rapidly. Had she heard her right? She couldn't very well be serious. "Miss Grimwood, I can't do that."

Miss Grimwood blinked, confused, then smiled and said "But of course you can. The girls already look up to you and respect you. And you're already the P.E. teacher. And today's events have shown me that I am not as on top of things as I'd like to be. I can't protect them like you can. I can't teach them like you could. All I want is what's best for you girls, and you are what's best for them. You know enough now that you could replace me. You could modernize the school. Give them a real twenty-first century education. Help them find their place in the world. Will you do this for me?"

Lauren looked down at the older woman and smiled before replying "I'm afraid not, Miss Grimwood."

"But why ever not?" Miss Grimwood implored of her.

Smiling, Lauren replied "Because you're wrong. You are qualified to teach us. I mean, who do you think taught me everything I know?"

"If what you're referring to is what you pulled off today, I didn't teach you that." Miss Grimwood scoffed.

"I'm not referring to my powers. I'm referring to other things; things like bravery, courage, persistence, compassion, kindness, selflessness. I learned those in your classroom, and without them, we would all be prisoners. No one is more fit for the job of a teacher than you. Though I'm still happy to coach, be the P.E. teacher, and help you with lessons and planning any time." Miss Grimwood hugged Lauren before pulling back after a moment. Lauren smiled at her again before asking "Do you think you could give me some alone time with my father and the five others over there for a moment?" Lauren asked her.

"Of course." Miss Grimwood replied before saying "Girls! I have a story I was wanting to tell you. Let's go over there, shall we?" Miss Grimwood lead them over to a random part of the yard, some fifty feet away from Lauren, Pitch, and the Guardians.

Lauren quickly placed some rocks where the ghouls were so that they could sit on them instead of the filthy, muddy ground. Then she turned to face Pitch. Once facing him, Lauren couldn't contain her tears any longer. Running towards her father, Lauren flung her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. Pitch embraced her back. After a moment, Lauren pulled back and wiped her tears away. Then she said, "I know it doesn't change anything, and that mother will still be dead, but it's like hearing she died all over again, knowing officially how it happened."

"Yes, but at least you were able to end it for good," Pitch replied, his face softening as a tear streaked down his face. "I couldn't be prouder of you, Lauren. It was like watching her in action all over again. However were you able to do all of that?"

"Well, I've had lots of help from the Guardians. Without them, I wouldn't have known that I could do any of what I did today, among other powers." Pitch looked up from Lauren and at the Guardians. A look of respect passed between them. Lauren was Pitch's daughter, but she was also a Guardian, so she had taken Nat's place as the link between the two groups. After the look had passed, Pitch ran a hand down the front of his tattered front before saying "I really must be going, Lauren. I've much to do. I love you."

Pitch hugged her tight as Lauren replied, "I love you, too, father." After the embrace was broken, Pitch swiftly climbed onto Onyx's back, called the other Nightmares to him, and disappeared back to his home through the shadows, the Nightmares that were left followed him.

All that Lauren had left to do was talk to the Guardians. She exhaustively glided over to them, took note of how worn they were, and cracked a grin. "Well, that's over."

Nodding, North grinned as well as he replied, "Da, it is."

"You were great, Lauren!" Tooth cheered as Sandy gave her two thumbs up.

"Nicely done," Bunny commented, clapping her on the shoulder with his paw.

"Yeah, you were awesome," Jack replied, smiling at her. Lauren smiled back as she received the compliments from the Guardians, that meant so much to her, especially because they were coming from five of the most powerful individuals in the universe. Grim was dead and it was finally over.

"I take it you aren't planning on coming with us," North said as if he really had to ask.

Lauren smiled sheepishly before saying "I'm sorry, guys, but my place is here with the girls. I'm needed here. You lot seem capable of surviving without me. But them," Lauren looked over at the ghouls. Miss Grimwood was telling a story, her hands wildly flailing about as she gestured animatedly, the ghouls laughing here and gasping there. "They need me. You said a Guardian protects the children. Well, they're in need of a bit more protection than your average child, given who they are. My place is with them."

The Guardians all shared a look with one another before North nodded. "You do what you feel needs to be done, Lauren. Even if it's not exactly what we do. You let us know if you need us again, dah?"

"Of course," Lauren replied with a grateful grin.

North pulled her in for a hug before saying "We'll keep in touch."

Bunny clapped her on the back as he said "You're as bonza a fighter as your mom was. She'd be extremely proud of you 'n' so am I. If you ever need anything, you know where my Warren is."

Lauren hugged Bunny tightly and said "Thanks, Bunny. You're not such a bad fighter yourself." Bunny laughed as the embrace broke. He smiled at Lauren once more before hopping over to the sleigh.

Sandy bounced over to Lauren, formed a Dreamsand fedora, tipped it to her, and gave her a sweeping bow. Lauren giggled before hugging him for a brief moment. After a beat, the two split apart and Sandy bounded over to the sleigh, taking a seat beside Bunny.

Before leaving, Tooth hugged Lauren around the shoulders, saying "It'll be nice having another girl to talk to, Lauren!"

"Haha, yeah! Stop by the school whenever you get the chance, Tooth!" Lauren told her sincerely.

"I will. Feel free to visit the Tooth Palace whenever you want." Lauren believed Tooth when she said this. It had to be tough to be the only girl in the group for any amount of time.

"You know I will," Lauren replied when there was a soft cough from behind them. Turning, she saw Jack who was staring at her.

"Ah, Tooth, do you think I could have a moment to talk to Lauren?" Jack asked anxiously.

"Sure, Jack." Tooth replied, flying towards the sleigh.

Jack watched her fly away before walking over to Lauren. "That was some battle. You're an amazing fighter, better than I would have given you credit for. What you did out there today was incredible."

"Thanks, Jack, I think," Lauren replied.

The two laughed for a moment before Jack said, "It really was great meeting you, Lauren Black."

"Same to you, Jack Frost." And she meant it. It had been an exceptional experience, meeting Jack. Sure, he pushed her buttons, but despite his short attention span and slight egotism, he was incredibly caring and dedicated.

"If you ever require the services of a bodyguard again, you know where to find me." Jack offered.

Rolling her eyes, Lauren replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

"And bodyguarding isn't my only specialty," Jack added with a cocky grin.

"I'll keep that in mind, too," Lauren added, crossing her arms.

Jack ran a hand through his hair, making the ends stick up even more, before saying "I'll see you around, Lauren." and he turned to walk away when he felt two arms slide around his abdomen.

He turned around to see Lauren hugging him. "You didn't think you could just walk away after all you've done for me without giving me a hug, did you?" Lauren asked him.

"I guess I wasn't thinking," Jack replied, hugging her back. After a moment, the two pulled apart and looked each other in the eye.

Lauren smiled up at Jack before saying "I'll see you around, Jack." and she pulled out of his arms and walked over the ghouls.

* * *

Jack watched her go before leaping into the sleigh. North gave him a knowing smile, Bunny laughed at him, Sandy nudged him in the ribs, and Tooth smiled as her mini-fairies hovered excitedly nearby. Jack rolled his eyes as he sat down. "You're pining for her." North pointed out as Bunny sniggered.

"I am not." Jack spluttered, ready to pitch himself out of the sleigh.

"You most certainly are, mate." Bunny corrected him.

Jack's face glowed bright red and he pulled his hood up over his head before folding his arms over his head.

"Come on, guys, leave him alone." Tooth quipped at them defensively.

"You can't avoid your feelings forever," Bunny told him, trying not to laugh.

"If the wait will last that long," North added with a devilish smirk. Jack began moaning as the rest of the Guardians burst into laughter.

* * *

Lauren watched the sleigh until it had disappeared in the sky. Then she turned back to the ghouls and sat by them. When they saw Lauren, the story was forgotten, and she was ambushed with hugs.

"You were brilliant!" Elsa cheered at Lauren as their embrace ended.

Winnie smiled hugely before adding "You were amazing!"

"You were great!" Phanty chimed.

"You saved us!" Sibella pointed out as she rubbed her arms. She was still not truly over the accuracy of that statement. Lauren had literally and truly saved her life just a few hours ago.

"You stopped him!" Tanis exclaimed, running up to Lauren and leaning against her side.

Lauren laughed before saying "Well, it's not like I didn't have any help because I did."

"Who were those people?" Tanis asked.

Lauren scooped her up, sat Tanis in her lap, and explained "Those were the Guardians. Their job is to protect the children of the world from danger."

"What were their names?" Elsa inquired, eager to know the names of the five individuals who helped her friend save their lives'.

"The five of them were Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost." Lauren elucidated for them.

"Was Jack Frost the cute one with the blue sweatshirt?" Sibella inquired, twirling a loose lock of hair around her index finger.

Lauren blushed before saying "Yeah, that would be him."

Phanty giggled before cooing "Oh, he is a cutie."

"Psh, yeah, okay. If that's what you wanna call him." Lauren replied with a laugh. Jack may have been cute, and possibly into her, but she had a boyfriend. Tug was wonderfully sweet and amazing and she wouldn't give him up just so she could have an immortal boyfriend who knew what she truly was and still liked her. Feeling like she was entering a realm of thinking she didn't want to indulge, Lauren said, "Let's go home." She and the rest of the ghouls and Miss Grimwood formed a circle and clasped hands. Shutting her eyes, Lauren began spinning herself and they were instantly teleported back to school.

* * *

The first thing Lauren did when they got back was change into a pair of pajamas and collapse onto her bed. She'd gone over twenty-four hours without sleep and was totally exhausted. Saving the world will do that to a person. Sighing with content as she delved deeper under the blankets, Lauren thought about how perfect her life was. She had an amazing boyfriend, fourteen fantastic friends, and a life of a Guardian. And she still got to go to Miss Grimwood's school, be with the ghouls, and visit Tug on a regular basis. And she had a series of Marauders books to read when she woke up, which was just an added bonus to her wonderful life. Turning on her side, Lauren shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Return to Normalcy**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC

* * *

"Happy Thanksgiving everyone!" Lauren exclaimed cheerfully as she bounded down the stairs.

"Well, thank you, Lauren!" Miss Grimwood called, walking out of the kitchen. "And a happy Thanksgiving to you, too."

"Whatcha cooking in there?" Lauren asked, walking up to her.

"Just the standard turkey, ham, and a dozen side dishes." Miss Grimwood informed her airily, stirring a pot.

"Well, it smells delicious." Lauren complemented, inhaling deeply. "Are the cadets going to be joining us?"

"Them and the Colonel." Miss Grimwood supplied.

"Sounds great. Do you mind if I pop in there for a second?" Lauren asked, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Be my guest." Miss Grimwood replied.

Lauren smiled at her before walking past her and into the kitchen. Stepping inside, Lauren took a whiff. It smelled good to her, but there was one problem. It was all rotten. This wouldn't do if the cadets planned on eating it. Rolling up her sleeves, Lauren pulled open the oven and took out the turkey. It wasn't fully cooked, but that was okay. She shut her eyes and placed the palms of her hands over the turkey. Focusing her magic on the bird, Lauren felt it becoming fresher. Opening up her eyes, Lauren tore a bit of the turkey off and tried it. It was still delicious, but fresh this time. Smiling, she put it back in the oven before doing the same thing with the ham. Lastly, Lauren worked her magic on the mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and the pumpkin pie. When all the food was no longer rotten to the core, Lauren smiled, wiped her hands off on a nearby rag, and left the kitchen.

Checking the time, it hadn't even taken half an hour. And it was only nine o'clock in the morning, giving her plenty of time to get ready for the evening. Lauren went back upstairs and into her bedroom before taking off her pajamas. She pulled on a pair of jeans, a grey sweater, and a pair of black boots. She then sat to work on her hair. Sitting down in front of her vanity, Lauren concentrated on her hair until it was curled to perfection. It was nearly eleven o'clock and Lauren had the next seven hours to occupy her time with. Her eyes instantly landed on the pile of books on her nightstand. Walking over, she picked one up and sat on the cushioned area by her window. Leaning against a pillow, she propped the book open and began to read. She was sucked into the magical world of James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, and Snape and it was phenomenal. Lauren couldn't believe how well written the books were, especially compared to the original Harry Potter series, which started out much cheesier.

It was hours before she checked the time again. When she did, she saw it was nearly six o'clock. She was already on the third book when she decided to check the time. Placing a bookmark to keep her place, Lauren set the book on a pillow and stood up. Stretching, she popped out her back, beat the wrinkles out of her shirt and headed down the stairs. The feast was going to be held in Miss Grimwood's school and all the ghouls were going to help set up. Descending the stairs at a run, Lauren took notice of how the other ghouls were already down stairs. Sibella and Phantasma unfolded the table cloth and let it out on the table. Winnie and Tanis set the plates and silverware. Elsa was bringing out the food and setting it on the table. Feeling guilty for arriving too late to do any of the heavy lifting, Lauren ran into the kitchen and smack into Miss Grimwood, coincidentally the woman she was looking for. "Miss Grimwood!"

"Yes, Lauren?" Miss Grimwood blinked, not expecting this sudden exclamation.

"Are there any decorations that need to be set out?" Lauren quickly asked.

Miss Grimwood didn't even need to ponder her response but simply said "I'm afraid not. Thanksgiving just isn't that major of a holiday around here. The only one we pull out all of the stops for is Halloween."

"Wait, wait, wait. Does that mean no Christmas tree, wreath, sleigh, snowmen, lights, or presents on Christmas? No eggs, bunnies, and flowers on Easter? No flags on the Fourth of July? No hearts, flowers, and chocolate on Valentine's day? No cornucopia on Thanksgiving?" Lauren asked, clutching her heart in shock.

Miss Grimwood smiled sheepishly before replying "Like I said, the only holiday we decorate for is Halloween."

Shaking her head, Lauren hopefully asked "Would you mind if I decorated?"

"I don't see why not." Miss Grimwood replied as Lauren teleported out of the kitchen and into a home goods store. After a bit of walking, she found what she was looking for. A cornucopia filled with fake foods and leaves, leaf shaped lights, festive cushions, streamers, and several other little baubles that she quickly paid for before teleporting back to her school. She set the decorations up, placing each one with noticeable care. Lastly, she lit the candles she'd set up and turned on the lights she'd strung before stepping back to admire her work.

It wasn't a second later when the Colonel walked through the door, the cadets following closely behind him. Tug saw Lauren and made a beeline for her. "Happy Thanksgiving." Tug said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Same to you, babe." Lauren said, pressing her lips against his, and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It is now that I'm with you." Tug replied as he pulled his lips away from Lauren's and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Oh, please." Lauren replied, about to kiss him again when Miss Grimwood gently tapped a spoon against a glass and said "Everyone, please have a seat."

The seats were quickly filled, resulting in Miss Grimwood and the Colonel at the heads of the table, the ghouls taking up three seats on each side, the cadets taking up the other three seats on each side. To the left of Miss Grimwood sat Phantasma, beside her Sibella, beside her Lauren, beside her sat Tug, Roger beside him, Grunt beside him. To the right of Miss Grimwood sat Elsa, beside her Winnie, beside her, Tanis, beside her Baxter, beside him Jamal, beside him Miguel. Lauren and Tug were the only two talking whose conversation involved a cadet and a ghoul. The rest of the ghouls talked to themselves while the cadets kept to their end of the table. Baxter looked at Tanis occasionally, each time opening his mouth to say something, but upon looking at her he seemed to get cold feet and would turn away.

Shaking her head, Lauren grabbed Tug by the wrist and pulled him to his feet, before pulling off, ignoring the shocked and confused looks of the other table occupants. Lauren let go when they were finally out in the hallway. "What's the matter?" Tug asked, rubbing her shoulders soothingly.

Lauren put her face in her hand for a minute before saying "It's the tension in the room. I can't take it anymore. Why won't the cadets and the girls talk to one another? We get along just fine. I mean, we are dating."

Tug scratched his chin before suggesting "Maybe it's because we knew each other before coming here, and already like each other before then."

"Could be." Lauren said, removing her hand from her face. "That's probably the only reason as to why we're not ignoring each other right now. But that still doesn't explain why. Could it be because of that volleyball game? No, I take that back, that doesn't make any sense. Our schools play a game of volley ball every single year, celebrate holidays together like now, you lot came over for my birthday, you saved our lives from Revolta, we saved yours from quicksand, we have constant run-ins with each other! So why the silence?"

Tug shook his head when Lauren's eyes met his because he had no idea. He'd noticed the tension as well, but hadn't the slightest idea why it was there. "Maybe they just don't know what to say to each other. Maybe they need a push." Tug suggested.

"A conversation instigator? That does have potential." Lauren agreed before she was struck by a thought. "But I wouldn't know what to say to any of the cadets apart from you. Unlike the other girls, I'm new here and don't know much of anything about any of them except for you."

"I'm sure they won't mind talking to you, Lauren, I mean you did save our lives with that food. If the Colonel wasn't in there, the guys would probably have asked you to get more stuff for them." Tug told her truthfully.

Lauren laughed before saying "I'd be more than happy to. I say Colonel Calloway can stuff it and the boys can tell me everything their hearts desire." She sighed before adding "And we should probably get back to the table before they start up their own conversation about ending with more kids than they started with." Tug nudged Lauren in the ribs as she said that before kissing her quickly on the lips. Lauren willed herself not to lean in for another but rather walked back into the dining area. She sat down, Tug beside her, and took a sip of sweet tea to clear her throat before saying "So, Baxter, Tug has been telling me how much you like to play basketball during your free time. It just so happens that I played for my school's varsity basketball team since middle school and would be more than happy to play a game with you if you'd like." Baxter froze, not believing that he'd been spoken to. "In fact," Lauren continued, "Since I've been promoted to the P.E. teacher here, the girls have all gotten pretty good at basketball, varsity good, and I bet they'd love to play a game against you and the rest of the cadets. It's wonderful how there's the perfect number of us to play as well, six on six."

"Uh, er, yeah, er, maybe, yeah, sometime, um... yeah." Baxter mumbled into his cup. Tug glanced from Baxter to Lauren, before holding her gaze. She looked determined to keep this going.

"Of course, it couldn't cut into your school time, nor ours, but I'm sure something could be arranged. I hear this Saturday is going to be unusually warm for this time of year." 'Or at least it is now.' Lauren thought to herself as she took a sip of her tea again. She was going to keep this going for as long as possible. "But it doesn't have to be basketball. It could be anything you like. Soccer, baseball, softball, tennis-"

"Tennis? That's a girls sport!" Grunt argued from beside the Colonel. When he saw everyone had turned to look at him, he paled a bit, not meaning to have drawn attention to himself. But it couldn't be helped now.

Lauren's head snapped to face him. Well, she'd gotten the cadets talking, just not in the way she was hoping for. Tug sensed a lecture coming about and stifled his laugh. He would never have called tennis, a sport that involved hard rackets and balls that could be served a hundred miles an hour, girly. Lauren smiled slightly at Grunt before asking "But have you ever played tennis? If not, then a, you have no right to call it a girly sport, and b, I challenge you to a match, directly after this meal. And when you have the body of a Greek god like Nadal, Fognini, Djokovic, Federer, Berdych, or Tursunov, who by the way are all male tennis players and have an annual income of several million dollars, let me know." This stunned Grunt into silence. Lauren smiled, took a bite of turkey, and said "But I am serious when I say we're having a match after dinner. I have a spare racket you can use, and since you believe tennis to be such a 'girly sport', I'm sure you won't need me to teach you the basics, though I will go over the rules. Fortunately, I have a score sheet so we'll be able to keep track of precisely what happens." And with that, Lauren ate very little the rest of the meal. If she got hungry later, she could get more food, but as of now she had to keep her stomach as empty as possible, less she throw up on the court.

The meal wasn't as quiet now, but the chatter mainly came from the girls who were all asking Lauren about tennis, a sport she had yet to introduce to them. "I promise that, starting tomorrow, I will begin tennis lessons for you five. It's a lot more complicated than the sports we've already played, but I think by the second lesson you should get it." Lauren could feel Grunt eyeing her, looking for any form of advice he could use during the game, but at the moment she was feeling merciless. And a tad confused. How could he call tennis girly, but not volleyball, she'd never understand.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Ace Ace Baby**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

When the meal ended, Lauren excused herself before jogging up the stairs, the ghouls tailing her. They gathered outside of Lauren's door as she changed into a tennis uniform, which consisted of a coral long sleeve Nike shirt, a ruffled black and white stripped Nike skirt, and a pair of white Nike tennis shoes. She made a small braid on the side of her head before pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She then selected two rackets, grabbing her best for herself and a lesser one for Grunt. She also grabbed a canister of tennis balls before walking out the door. Striking a pose, she asked "What do you think?"

The ghouls all grinned excitedly before Sibella replied "It's obvious who the winner'll be. You'll be fangtastic, Lauren!"

"Thanks, girls." Lauren replied as she descended the stairs. She walked over to the table, her posse behind her, and asked Grunt "You ready to go?"

He rolled his eyes, cracked his knuckles, and said "Bring it on."

"It's your funeral." Lauren muttered under her breath as they walked out of the school.

"Lauren?" Sibella asked her in a hushed whisper.

"Yes, Sibella?" Lauren asked, spinning the racket as they walked.

"Where are we going, exactly? We don't have a tennis court."

Lauren smiled coyly at her before saying "You girls would be surprised if you knew what I got up to on our days off when there's nothing to do around the school. Let's just say that I did a little grounds keeping around here and thought a tennis court would look great in the vicinity." And sure enough, several hundred yards later, there lay a beautiful, brand new tennis court. Lauren crossed her arms and turned around all in one fluid motion as she waited for the cadets to show up.

If the walk had tired out Grunt, he certainly wasn't showing it. He rolled up his sleeves before saying "Let's get this started," and he made to go onto the court when Lauren snagged his sleeve and held him back.

Letting go of his sleeve, Lauren said "You're not setting a foot on my court until I've explained the rules to you."

"You hit the ball back and forth. Seems simple enough." Grunt grunted.

Lauren laughed then, totally unashamed of it, and didn't stop for a good three minutes. Finally she caught her breath, wiped the tears out of her eyes, and said "Tennis is much more complex than that! Yes, the object is to hit the ball back and forth, but that doesn't even begin to cover it. In singles, which is what we're playing, the opponents stand diagonal to one another. The server has to hit the ball into the the front of the diagonal box, anywhere in that vicinity. If you miss, you get one more chance to serve properly before you have to give the ball to the other person. Once a point is scored, you move to the other side of your side of the court. At the beginning, both sides start at 'love' or zero. One point gets you to fifteen, the next to thirty, then forty, and if you get one more without your opponent being at forty as well, you win. If both you and your opponent are at forty, you have to score two points in a row without your opponent scoring another one in order to win. Got it? Good. Now, a professional game usually consists of either eight, ten, or twelve rounds. What I just described was one round. However, for the sake of things I propose we play three rounds. Best two out of three rounds wins."

Grunt flexed his muscles before saying "You're on."

"Okay, then. Now, in order to figure out who'll serve first, I'll spin my racket. Do you call 'W' or 'M'?" Lauren asked him.

"'M'" Grunt replied.

Lauren spun her racket and it clattered onto the ground. Bending down, Lauren said "Good call. You serve first." Lauren picked up her racket, handed Grunt a ball, and slipped another up her skirt. When she saw his face, she rolled his eyes and said "Relax. I've a pair of spandex on underneath. See?" Lauren lifted up her skirt to reveal a pair of black spandex underneath, hugging her legs. Lauren walked to the far side of the court and bent her knees, clutching her racket in both hands.

Grunt took his position before asking "Wait, how do I serve?"

Rolling her eyes, Lauren straightened up before saying "You turn your body like so, toss the ball as high in the air as you want, and then hit the ball hard enough to get it to go over the net, but not so hard that it will miss its mark. It only takes serving hundreds of balls to master this, but I'm sure that since it's such a girly sport you'll manage on your first try."

The last part was added sarcastically, but nonetheless Grunt smiled smugly. Lauren sunk back into her position as he served. However, the ball sailed over her head before hitting the ground. "Need I even say that was out?" she asked in a taunting voice. "However, you do get a second serve before it's my turn. So here." She nonchalantly caused the ground to slope and the ball rolled over to her before coming at a rest at her feet. Using her racket and the edge of her foot, Lauren bounced the ball into the air before hitting it directly at Grunt who jumped in surprise at how fast it came at him. Out of instinct, he held the racket up to cover his face but the ball bumped into his gut. Not wanting to show weakness, he simply laughed before picking it up and serving again. This time, it landed on Lauren's side of the net, but not on the right side of her side. "Out, yet again. Better luck next time, but now it's my turn."

Lauren positioned her racket just so behind her back, angling her arm to add top spin, and tossed the ball up into the air. As gravity called it back down to earth, Lauren leapt up and tore into the ball, hitting it hard. It seared through the air, landed inside the right box, and quickly bounced back out, all in about three seconds. Startled by the speed of everything, Grunt swung his racket, but simply connected with air. "Fifteen, love." Lauren called as Tug picked up the ball and threw it to her. Lauren caught it with her racket before bouncing it around for a bit. Then she asked "Ready, Grunt?" Without waiting for a response, she shifted sides, Grunt copying her, and served the ball again. This time, it landed in the corner of his court, just sailing over the net by a centimeter, and then bounced out. Grunt wasn't prepared, swung blindly, and hit only air. "Thirty, love." Lauren chirped as Tug tossed her the ball yet again. She soon scored another two points before saying "Well, that's the end of round one with a total of sixty, love, which leaves us at one to none. Plenty of time to redeem yourself, Grunt, though you might want to start actually playing this rather girly sport instead of swatting at the lightning bugs with my hundred dollar Wilson racket. I've five spares, but I'm rather fond of that one." She was enjoying teasing him like this, and seeing him turn red with indignant rage.

Lauren tossed Grunt the ball in order for him to serve. Miraculously, when he did so it landed in the right box. Lauren would have been so shocked she'd miss it, but years of playing tennis caused her to run after it anyway. She backhanded it into Grunt's side, as far away from him as possible, and Grunt missed. "Fifteen, love." she called. "But it's still your serve." Grunting, Grunt threw the ball into the air and hit like he'd done a minute ago. When it went in, he ran to the opposite side of his court before Lauren could hit it, expecting her to aim there again. But seeing him do this, Lauren repositioned her body so that it barely scraped the top of the net before landing on the ground. In frustration, Grunt banged the racket onto the ground, hard. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Lauren called, reaching over the net and hitting the ball with the edge of her racket, sending it over to him. Muttering, Grunt picked up the ball as Lauren called "Oh, and the score is thirty, love."

Twirling the racket in her fingers, Lauren sunk down as Grunt served the ball. Now he had no idea where she'd hit it, so he moved to the center of the court. That was a good move. Lauren watched him do so, impressed, and then directed her attention on the ball that was coming right at her. She simply stuck out her racket. When the ball hit, it made a small arch before sailing over the net. Grunt saw this and ran for the ball. Extending his racket, Grunt managed to make contact with the ball. It hit the edge of his ball before going over. However, Lauren was ready. As it sailed towards the ground, Lauren lifted her arm in the air, her racket behind her back, before moving her arm down, the racket up, and hammered into the ball as hard as she could, putting it away. All Grunt saw was a blur. And then "Forty, love." Lauren quickly wiped the palms of her hands on her skirt before walking back over to the edge of the court. She had one more point to score before the third round would begin and she could easily put away each serve she made. Smiling smugly, knowing she'd already had this match won before it started, Lauren watched the ball approach. Feeling a surge of strength, Lauren back handed that ball to the very edge of Grunt's side before it bounced out. Straightening up, Lauren rested her racket against her shoulder before saying "That's the end of round two, the score being two to none. I've won the two out of three bit, but we could still play the third round if you're game, Grunt."

"No, I'm going to finish this." Grunt replied, sweating like a cow.

Shrugging, Lauren held her hand out for the ball. Grunt threw as hard as he could, hoping Lauren would miss and it would embarrass her, but she still managed to catch it. Without any warning, she suddenly released the ball and hammered it. Grunt had no time to react before it was too late. "Fifteen, love." Lauren snapped. Impatiently, Lauren slid a ball out from her skirt and served it. Grunt was yet again unprepared and missed. "Thirty, love."

At that point, Grunt had to retrieve the balls. He tossed them one after the other at Lauren. She tossed one aside before serving the other, pounding it mercilessly at Grunt. Seeing it coming right at him, Grunt squealed before holding his racket up to protect his face. Surprisingly, the ball hit the racket before springing off, back onto Lauren's side. Forgetting that she could teleport, Lauren booked it and made it to the edge. She simply extended her arm and the ball bounced off of it and over the net. It leapt over the net before sinking straight down and onto the ground. "Forty, love." Lauren said, lifting up the net and scooting the ball under it. "Let's finish this, shall we?" she asked, getting into position. Grunt wiped a hand across his forehead, panting, and managed a small nod. Lauren cracked a grin, knowing where she was to aim in order to finish this. Serving, she changed her position so that it wouldn't be aimed at Grunt, but rather on the left edge of the box so that it would bounce in, barely, before bouncing out at an angle that would make it impossible to return the ball. It had taken her two months to really master the serve, but that was when she was thirteen. Three years later, and she could've done it in her sleep. Lauren smacked into the ball before watching it fly right where she'd wanted it to go. Smiling successfully, she watched Grunt swing and miss. "That brings about an end to round three, with three to zero." Lauren put the tennis balls back in her canister and the tennis racket from Grunt who was sweating like a pig.

He looked Lauren over before saying "How are you not sweating?"

Wiping her hands off on her skirt, Lauren simply stated "The game only lasted thirty minutes and I hardly put anything into it. Besides, I exercise on a daily basis, wear the proper clothing, eat the proper foods, and have good hygiene. If anything, I thought you'd be okay because of the amount of workouts the Colonel puts you through."

"You would think that." Grunt replied, cracking a smile. He wiped his hand on his shirt before extending it to Lauren who shook it. "You know, Lauren, you're all right. But next time we play, I will be the one winning." But this was said good naturedly.

Lauren laughed before saying "In your dreams, cadet."

Tug sidled on up to the two of them before clapping Grunt on the shoulder. "I talk about how amazing she is on a constant basis and it's like you didn't hear a bit of it. I know I've mentioned how good at sports she is. Better luck next time, Grunt." He then turned to face Lauren and wrapped his hands around her waist. Lauren proceeded to wrap her arms around Tug's shoulders. "You played an amazing game."

"Quickest one I ever won." Lauren added with a smile.

"I know. So I assume mission accomplished?" Tug asked her.

Lauren pondered this before replying "Maybe partially, but there's definitely room for improvement. I still need to get a handshake from Baxter, Jamal, Miguel, and Roger before I'll stop."

Tug cracked a grin before asking "Oh, so the conversation isn't enough, now you need a handshake, too?"

Lauren nodded at that. "Exactly."

Tug rolled his eyes before smiling down at Lauren and kissing her. When the two pulled apart, he said "I love you, Lauren."

"Not as much as I love you, Tug." Lauren replied before they began walking back to their school's.

Before allowing the cadets to leave, Lauren made them take a good portion of leftovers with them, everyone but the Colonel. He could eat out of his stash. She also set aside some food that she would eat later, and a pallet of options for Onyx to select from when he stopped by later that night. Now in pajamas, Lauren held the plate in her lap and had just finished it off when she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. Setting the empty plate under the one for Onyx, Lauren turned off the light, delved under the blankets, and fell asleep almost instantly, thinking of ways to get the rest of the cadets to talk to her, as well as the other ghouls.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Summer in December**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

Her bodily clock finally functioning properly, Lauren woke up at her usual time of five in the morning. Sitting up in bed, she stretched her arms over her head before relaxing her position. She checked the plate she'd left for Onyx the night before to discover it licked clean. Smiling, Lauren kicked the blankets off before making up her bed. Once she'd done that, she selected her outfit for the day; a pink Simply Southern shirt, black leggings, and LL bean boots. She then ran a brush through her wavy hair, simply knocking away the tangles, before taking the plate and teleporting downstairs. In the kitchen Lauren found the sink and quickly rinsed the plate off before putting it up in the cabinet. Having done that, Lauren leaned against the counter for a moment, wondering what to do now. Her birthday was over, the world saved, she'd read all seven books her father had given her for her birthday, and Thanksgiving was up. The only thing left to do was find ways to get the cadets talking to her and the ghouls comfortably. Polite conversation wasn't acceptable, but rather a start. Lauren would have been fine with any form of acknowledgement between the two schools. It had been her idea to have the cadets over for Thanksgiving, after all, in order to bring some form of bond between the schools but all she'd managed to do was school Grunt at tennis, granted that had gotten him to actually talk to her and shake her hand. It was a start, but not something she'd dig too deeply into. It needed to be milked for all that it was worth.

Sighing, Lauren pushed herself off of the counter before heading out the doors and onto the grounds. Walking around listlessly, Lauren ended up by the wall that divided the two schools. Getting an idea, she hopped the fence and made way towards the cadet's school when she checked the time. It was just past six in the morning, much too early to visit any of them. Besides, the Colonel probably had them up and doing exercises already, and would only take it out on them even more for not only Grunt losing to her last night, but Lauren coming by. She could tell that each time she visited Tug, the Colonel was a step closer to banning her from his school. Not that that would stop her from seeing Tug, but it would put up a slight speed bump.

Fresh out of ideas again, Lauren turned around, hopped the dividing wall, and continued to walk around her school. It felt good to be up and about, all to herself, before the sun had risen. The moon was fairly full and cast a pale glow on the campus. Lauren passed Miss Grimwood's garden and sighed to herself. It was a shame that the ghouls didn't like anything to be fresh. Everything in it was rotten, close to decomposition rotten. Shaking her head, Lauren continued walking. It was a waste. Yes, her, Miss Grimwood, and the ghouls ate from it on an almost daily basis, but because all of the food was rotten, Lauren couldn't dole it out to the cadets, who would gladly eat the fruits and vegetables. Lauren continued to listlessly walk around, glad to be up and moving, feeling the cool, morning air on her face as she went. As Lauren walked around, she tried to think of ways in which she could bring the schools together.

"It'll be much too cold for another sporting event. But there's always Christmas. Yes! We could have a gift exchange and... wait. I'm Mother Nature's daughter and friend to Jack Frost. Certainly I can get it to be warm for the next two weeks so that we could have practices for whatever sport we wish to play against one another. Of course, the ghouls will obviously win this one as well. It's too late for me to teach them to play tennis well enough that they could, if they wanted to, beat the cadets like I did Grunt. And it can't be volleyball again. Perhaps we could play basketball. But we don't have a court. Or an extra basket. But we do have enough for soccer. I could paint the lines on now and still the rains to prevent them from running away. Yeah, that's it! And the girls do play a mean game of soccer. We'll win for sure. Especially if we sneak in a use or two of our powers. That's not cheating, after all, since it's natural to us." Lauren beamed with excitement and began walking back into the school. She was so excited that she burst into a run. Running her hardest, Lauren was back at the school in no time.

Upon finding the ghouls, she explained to them her plan for a good four minutes before asking "So what do you girls think? Do you think you're soccer skills are fine tuned enough for us to have an easy victory against the cadets within the next two weeks?"

The ghouls looked around the room at each other before Sibella replied "You bat, Lauren! We'll play a fangtastic game!"

Lauren beamed at them all before saying "I know you girls will be brilliant when we play! I'll go talk to Miss Grimwood and see if she can arrange something with the Colonel before the week's over." And with that, Lauren left to go find Miss Grimwood.

She found her in her study. "Ah, Lauren. What a pleasant surprise. What brings you by?"

Just as she had with the ghouls, Lauren explained her idea of hosting a soccer game against the cadets. Once finished with her long winded appeal she asked "So what do you think of the cadets and us ghouls playing a game of soccer before Christmas?"

"Why, I think that's a marvelous idea, Lauren! I'll go over to the Colonel right now and ask him myself!" Miss Grimwood beamed at Lauren before she walked out the front door. Lauren watched as she shut the door before she turned back and went to tell the girls the good news. Teleporting mid stride, she appeared back in her room where the ghouls still congregated and announced "Miss Grimwood just left to go ask the Colonel.

She'll be back shortly with his reply. While we wait do you ghouls wanna go play a game of soccer to begin warming up?" This was met with agreement from each of the ghouls. Smiling, Lauren said "Then go get suited up. I have a feeling it's going to be pretty warm for the next two weeks so dress lightly."

When they had left and her door had been shut, Lauren teleported to Antarctica. She flew around for a bit before finding exactly who she was looking for. "Hey, Jack!" she called out.

Jack turned around, startled, yet pleasantly surprised. An easy smile graced his face as Lauren approached him. "Hey, Lauren! What brings you by?"

She landed on the ground beside him before saying "I actually have a small favor I need from you."

"Oh really?" Jack asked, flipping his bangs out of his eyes.

"I was wondering if you could quit bringing winter weather to my school and the school beside it." Lauren asked him, biting down on her lip.

"Hmm..." Jack replied in a pondering tone. "If I were to pull through on your request, what would be in it for me?"

"Well... what do you want?" Lauren asked in reply, not having thought he would want something in return.

Jack cracked a mischievous grin before asking "Before I make my demands, why do you want it to be warm for the next two weeks anyway?"

"My school is hosting a very important soccer game and we can't play if it's freezing outside." Lauren quickly supplied.

Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully before saying "You've got it. I won't make it snow in that area for the next two weeks. Do you have any other requests?"

"No that was it." Lauren replied gratefully.

"Good. Now, since I'm doing this for you, I need a favor from you." Jack told her, leaning against his staff.

"What is it?" Lauren asked him, wondering what she could possibly do for him.

Jack stared at her for a moment before pushing off against his staff and saying "Eh, don't worry about it right now. I'll cash it in later."

"Awe, thanks, Jack." Lauren said, flying upward a couple of inches in order to run her fingers through his hair, tousling it.

"No problem, Lauren." Jack replied, yanking her back down by the lace of her boots.

"Ah!" she cried, startled by being thrust down.

But instead of hitting the ground, she found herself in Jack's arms. "I gotcha." he said, easily holding her weight.

Lauren's breath caught in the back of her throat as she stared into Jack's eyes. Jack stared back into her eyes and smiled down at her. Lauren smiled back before realization hit her like a truck. She was in Jack's arms, being held close to his chest, and they were smiling and lost in each other's eyes. The smile and dazed gaze melted off her face as Lauren leapt out of his arms and onto the ground. "Well, thanks for that, Jack. I know the girls will appreciate that you're going to allow a little sunshine on our fair school for the next two weeks."

"It's nothing, Lauren." Jack said, pulling her in for a hug.

Lauren returned the hug for a brief moment before pulling back and saying "I'll see you around, Jack." And with that, she flew off.

Jack smiled, leaned against his staff, and said "Yeah. I'll see you around." as Lauren flew out of sight. When she vanished, he pushed off of his staff and jumped into the breeze, flying the opposite direction. Winter wasn't going to bring itself, after all.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: The Upcoming Date**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

When Lauren arrived back at the school, she saw the ghouls were already outside and suited up. She quickly ripped off her clothing and pulled on a running tank that read 'Forget the Glass Slipper This Princess Wears Running Shoes', a pair of coral running shorts, and white Nike tennis shoes. She grabbed a soccer ball and teleported outside to begin the practice. The other ghouls were already suited up in the extra sports gear Lauren had given them. "Are you girls ready to smoke the cadets at the upcoming game?" she asked. This was met with many cheers and excitement. "Let's get to practicing then." They divided into two teams of three, every person took turns as a goalie, and Lauren put on some pop music. Lauren passed the ball to Sibella, who turned into a bat, and hit it with her wing over to Tanis who kicked it to Lauren, who had teleported over to the goal, and kicked it straight through Phantasma.

After the glee of having made a shot wore off, Lauren frowned, and called the girls over. "Okay, that was great, but I saw a few things out there we might want to work on. First, Phanty, when we play against the cadets, I don't think you should be a goalie. It's nothing against you, it's just that the ball can phase through you as it just did when I kicked it towards you. But you've got an amazing kick so you'll be better use to the team if you stay on the field the entire game." Phantasma nodded when Lauren finished, happy to help her friend in any way. "And Sibella, that bat move has helped us out a lot in the past, especially when you spiked during the volleyball game. But maybe cut back on it a bit, just a little bit, because we don't want the cadets watching out for you making that move because then they'll start expecting it and then it'll be no use to us."

"I can do that." Sibella replied.

Smiling, Lauren clapped her hands together and said "Great, let's get back to practicing then, shall we?" Lauren and Elsa took over goalie duty for their teams as Sibella and Phantasma faced off.

Phantasma maneuvered the ball around Sibella before kicking it over to Winnie. Before Winnie could get to it, Tanis lassoed her bandage around the ball and dragged it over to her side before slinging it in the direction of the goal Elsa was guarding. The ball shot right at the goal. Elsa banked left and dove for the ball, managing to snag it with the tips of her fingers. Her eyes widened in surprise before cracking a giant grin. "Whoop! Nice save, Elsa!" Lauren cried from the opposite side of the field.

"Yeah, nice one!" Winnie shouted as Elsa kicked the ball back into the fray. There was a mad dash for the ball and Winnie emerged victorious. She booked it over to the goal on the other side of the field. As she neared Lauren's goal, Sibella came out of nowhere and kicked the ball out from under Winnie's feet. Winnie tumbled to the ground as she lost her balance. Sibella sprinted away, laughing as she did so.

"Hey, no fair, Sibella!" Winnie shouted in indignant rage as she sprung to her feet. She quickly chased after Sibella, but the vampiress was already on the other side of the field. Phantasma and Tanis hovered near the goal, Phantasma ready to intercept, Tanis ready to aid and abet. Sibella saw Phantasma approaching her out of the corner of her eye so she kicked the ball over to Tanis who pivoted to kick the ball directly over to Elsa, only to be intercepted by Winnie. She had sped over to Elsa's goal just in time and kicked the ball as hard as possible in Lauren's direction. All eyes were on the ball as it lobbed through the air before hitting the ground, bouncing once, and coming to a rolling stop mere inches from Lauren.

"Nice kick." Elsa commented, her hair blowing in the wind stirred up by her four friends as they raced to get to the ball. Winnie flanked Tanis and Phantasma flanked Sibella as they fought over who would get the ball.

"Phantasma, block them! I'll get the ball." Winnie shouted as she pushed herself faster than she had ever run before.

"No! Tanis, trip her or something! We've got to get that ball away from Lauren!" Sibella yelled as she and Phantasma elbowed each other in the attempt to push them out of the way.

Lauren collapsed into peals of laughter at the four of them, holding onto the goal's frame to keep from fully falling on the ground. Tanis's bandages began extending towards the ball as Phantasma objected "Hey, Lauren said no powers! Wrap 'em back up, Tanis."

"Hmph!" Tanis complained, upset that she had been caught.

There was no headway being made and the four had almost reached the ball. In a moment of brash decision making, Winnie flung herself onto the ball, pancaking it into the dirt. Tanis, Sibella, and Phantasma were still running full speed and had no time to stop. Tumbling on top of Winnie, the four of them began to laugh. Lauren clutched the frame of the soccer goal hard to keep herself from falling to the ground but ended up doing so anyway. And even though Elsa was on the other side of the field, she had seen everything unfold and subsequently fell to ground as she clutched her stomach, shaking she was laughing so hard.

This lasted for a few minutes before the ghouls got up, dusted themselves off, and dispersed across the field. Since Winnie had been fouled, Lauren picked up the soccer ball, tossed it into the air, and kicked it as hard as possible. The ball bulleted through the air only to be claimed by Sibella who quickly pivoted and ran with the ball over to where Elsa stood, guarding the goal, closely followed by Phantasma, as well as Winnie and Tanis. The later two were trying, unsuccessfully, to trip each other. While that strategy wouldn't do during an actual game, it was highly entertaining to watch and Lauren appreciated all the effort they were putting into strategizing and devising ways to outsmart the cadets. Whenever the match was scheduled for, Lauren wholeheartedly believed that they would be ready.

Overall it had been a very good practice. Sibella had managed to cut back on turning into a bat just enough so that it wasn't obvious what she was doing, but still scored a good dozen goals. And since Phantasma was no longer goalie, their goalie skills had improved greatly because no one was could have a soccer ball physically pass through them. The ghouls headed back to the school.

On the way they ran into Miss Grimwood who was leaving Calloway's school. Lauren dashed over to her and asked "Did the Colonel agree to the game, Miss Grimwood?"

"Of course he did. But since the sport was our idea, he insisted on choosing the date." Miss Grimwood replied as Lauren frowned.

"Of course he did." Lauren mumbled under his breath.

"What was that, dearie?" Miss Grimwood asked, not having heard her.

"Oh, I was just asking what day did he choose?" Lauren asked, smiling innocently.

"This coming Saturday." Miss Grimwood supplied.

Lauren let out a sigh of relief. "That's perfect. We could play it today."

Miss Grimwood beamed at Lauren before saying "You girls will do great. You're sure to win."

"You can say that again." Lauren replied, balancing the ball on her foot before popping it into the air and kicking it around with her feet.

Miss Grimwood laughed delightedly before saying "Oh, you're wonderful, Lauren. With you on them team, there's no way we can lose."

"You flatter me." Lauren replied, kicking the ball up and directly into her hands.

She walked with Miss Grimwood back to the school where she met the other girls. "The game's next Saturday." Lauren announced to them.

"Psh. We'll be ready then." Elsa said confidently.

"'Ready then?' We're ready now." Winnie added, grinning.

"Haha, yeah. We're totally going to win this one. Tanis, I hope your mummy case has been cleaned and prepared for a new edition." Lauren said, patting the head of the mummy. Tanis beamed under the touch of Lauren, after all she really looked up to the older ghoul.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Liar Liar Cleats on Fire**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC

* * *

It was the day of the big soccer game. All of the ghouls were pumped for the game. For this game, Lauren had made them all matching shirts. They were purple and had silver writing on them. The writing was the same from their volley ball uniforms and read 'Grimwood Ghouls' on the front in large, elegant lettering and on the back read each person's name and in minuscule print, 'Ghouls before Fools'. Getting the ghouls together, Lauren took a pregame selfie with the rest of the ghouls before uploading it to all of her social media pages. She was absentmindedly bouncing a ball from one knee to the other when the cadets showed up. Not stopping her bouncing, she smirked, and asked "You lot don't plan on cheating during this game as well, do you?"

"We don't need to cheat to beat you girls at a sport." Grunt cockily remarked.

Lauren froze and her eyebrows quirked. "If I recall correctly, you cheated during the volleyball game and still lost. And I schooled you at tennis. Do you want to repeat that last sentence?" Lauren challenged them, mentally face palming. She had arranged this game to bring comradeship to the two schools but all she had managed to do was bring more tension between them. A competition probably wasn't the best idea to bring companionship between two groups of people, Lauren reflected. But it was too late to do anything about it now. They'd just have to play. Lauren kicked the ball into her hands and asked the Colonel "Shall we begin?"

Adjusting his cuff, the Colonel replied "Actually, young lady, I'm afraid one person from each team will have to sit out during the game."

"Okay, what are you talking about?" Lauren asked him, confused.

"You don't know? The rules of soccer state that there can only be five people on a team, and there's six players for each school. One person from each school has to sit out, and I'd like to suggest Baxter from my school, and you from yours." The Colonel adjusted his other cuff then, like he'd just accomplished something major. Instead, Lauren burst out laughing. The Colonel's eyes snapped open and he stared at her, confused. "Young lady, what are you laughing at?"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Lauren replied "With all do respect, Colonel Calloway, you're absolutely pathetic."

The Colonel, taken aback, sputtered "How dare you-"

"How dare me? How dare you! Everyone knows that there's eleven people on a soccer team. One goalie, ten people out in the field. It's basketball that allows for only five players on the team. And then you 'casually' volunteer myself with who you consider to be your weakest player to sit out the entire game. I suppose you felt real clever coming up with that little scheme." Lauren told him, unabashed.

"And what proof do you have that I'm lying?" The Colonel asked, believing to be the only person in the vicinity who possessed accurate knowledge about the sacred rules of soccer.

Lauren rolled her eyes and pulled out her cell phone. "The Internet. I suppose you forgot that it is the twenty first century?" Lauren turned to the phone and said "Siri, how many players are on a soccer team?"

"There are eleven people on a soccer team." the phone spoke back. This was met with silence as the ghouls glared at the cadets.

The Colonel nervously pulled at his collar before saying "Er, well, my apologies. I must have gotten the two sports confused. No harm done."

Lauren rolled her eyes, cracked a grin, and said "Water under the bridge, Colonel. I just hope there won't be anymore 'mix ups' during the game."

"That won't be a problem." the Colonel replied smoothly.

"I'm sure it won't be." Lauren mumbled under her breath before walking over to the ghouls. They huddled up and Lauren whispered "They've already begun cheating and the game hasn't even started yet. I don't want to create a sense of paranoia but during the game make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for anything that looks suspicious. But enough of that. We're going to go out there and play our very best. And even if we don't win, we'll lose knowing we gave it our all."

"But there's no way we can lose!" Phantasma whispered excitedly.

"You can say that again, Phanty." Winnie agreed.

"You bat we will!" Sibella exclaimed.

"Absolutely!" Elsa chimed in.

"We will, won't we?" Tanis asked, tugging Lauren on the hem of her team shirt.

Lauren looked each and every one of them in the eyes. They had been through so much together already. They'd won the previous volley ball game, a victory that hadn't happened once since the creation of the tournament, and they'd battled two villains. A little soccer game shouldn't be anything compared to all of that. "After everything we've been through, a little soccer game isn't going to be much of a challenge. We've got this game in the bag." This was met with an uproar of team spirit. "You girls ready to play?" Lauren asked.

"YES!" they replied excitedly.

Handy had already set up the scoreboard. Miss Grimwood cleared her throat and said "The game will consist of two forty minute periods, in between will be a ten minute rest for the players. At the end of the second forty minutes, whichever team has the most points wins the game. Each goal scored is worth a single point. The game will start with a coin toss. Colonel, would you like to do the honors?"

"Gladly, Miss Grimwood." he replied, pulling out a quarter from his breast pocket.

Lauren eyed it suspiciously before saying "Miss Grimwood, why don't you flip the coin this time?"

"Oh, Lauren, that's a splendid idea. Colonel, you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"I suppose not." The Colonel replied, begrudgingly handing over the coin. Miss Grimwood flipped the coin and the Colonel blurted out "Heads."

Lauren and the ghouls all turned to look at him, Lauren's eyes narrowing, when Miss Grimwood replied "Tails."

"Wha- huh?" The Colonel asked.

"You heard me, Colonel. It landed tails up. See?" and Miss Grimwood showed him the coin for emphasis.

The Colonel looked at the coin, which sure enough, was tails up. "Grimwood gets the ball, first. Teams, assign your goalies." The Colonel muttered.

"Grunt, you're on." Tug said just as Lauren asked "Elsa, what do you think of being goalie? You've got the perfect build for it. Or you, Tanis, if you use your tape then there's no way the ball could ever get past you. Which one of you wants to be the goalie?"

"Elsa, you can be the goalie if you want. I like the running around part better anyway." Tanis complied.

"Are you sure, Tanis?" Elsa asked her.

"Yeah." Tanis easily replied.

"Okay then, Elsa, you're the goalie. Let's get out there and win this." Lauren said the last bit louder, which gained her some strange looks. "What?" she asked. "Confidence is an intimidating trait. Especially when you're dealing with a group of guys. Take it from me, I've dealt with plenty of them." She then whispered "The rest of you, pick a guy, and guard him. If you see the ball going in his direction, take it. Now, don't constantly hover, but keep your eye on him."

"Who are you going to take, Lauren?" Tanis whispered.

"Me? I'll take care of Tug." Lauren said with a smile as the other ghouls laughed. "Oh, shush." Lauren said, grinning.

Elsa and Grunt went to their respective goals as the other ten players made their way onto the field when suddenly someone shouted "Hey! Lauren!" She whirled around and saw none other than Jack Frost flying towards her.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Cashed in Favor**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC

* * *

She blinked for a second, realized it really was him, and she quickly flew over to him. "Jack? What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"Cashing in that favor you owed me. I wanted to see why you wanted me to let you make it all sunny and hot during December. That, and I've never seen a, what did you call it? Soccer game? I've never seen one of those before." Jack replied, touching down onto the ground.

"Then watch one on the tv. You can't let the cadets see you!" Lauren screamed in a hushed whisper. She and the ghouls worked tirelessly to prevent the cadets from discovering they weren't human. Jack couldn't ruin that for them.

"You forgot, being a Guardian means that people only see you if they believe in you." Jack explained.

"But they still see me. I've been surrounded with total strangers several times since I became a Guardian and people have no problem seeing me." Lauren rebutted, crossing her arms.

"You're a special case. I was born invisible. You weren't. And I seriously doubt any of those guys will be able to see me. Now I realize I'm probably making you look like an idiot, after all to those guys you look like you're having an argument with yourself so I'll let you get to your game." Jack told her with an easy smile.

"Oh, aren't you a saint?" Lauren quipped sarcastically.

"I try." Jack replied smartly.

"Well, I hope so because you might not know this, but you are what humans call a spectator, as in you spectate at an event, in this case a soccer game. And when you spectate, all you do is sit there and watch. You can't join the game or interfere in any way. Or make a single comment." Lauren added on as an afterthought, which wasn't necessarily true, but she couldn't be too careful when it came to Jack.

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked but Lauren glared at him so fiercely that he held up his hands in mock surrender and said "Okay, okay. I won't interfere with the game or make a single comment during the entire thing. I wouldn't want to distract your friends." He added the last part with a dramatic wink. Lauren shook her head in exasperation. This might end up being a complete disaster. Jack's mock face fell away and he said "Hey, is everything okay?"

Lauren rubbed her arm nervously before replying "Yeah, everything's fine. It's just that this game is really important and-"

"And you're afraid I'll mess it up for you. I get it." Jack replied as his face fell.

Lauren's eyes widened as she rushed to comfort Jack. "No, that's not it! It's that I'm afraid I may mess it up because this game means everything to those girls over there. And I want to make them feel like normal people."

Jack's brow furrowed. "Normal people? They're-"

Lauren was quick to cut him off. "They're monsters. I know that. But do you see those boys over there? They don't know. And I want to keep it that way."

His brow furrowing even more, Jack asked "Wait, wait, wait. They don't know? How could they not know? I mean, that little one is completely covered in bandages, that one I can see through, that was has scars all over her body and bolts hanging out of her neck, that one is purple, and that last one is literally covered in fur."

Lauren scratched the back of her head as she replied "Well, I didn't say they were the brightest. But the point is, they treat the ghouls like normal girls and they deserve that. If they knew, not only would the cadets crush the girls by treating them like any normal human would, but, and this is really selfish, but I would also lose my boyfriend."

Jack's face hardened at that. "Hey, first of all, if a guy isn't going to date you just because you're not human, that's his loss. Any guy that's lucky enough to date you should know that. Second of all, I promise to be on my best behavior."

"Thanks, Jack. Make yourself comfortable because this game is going to last ninety minutes." Lauren informed him.

In response, Jack leapt up into the sky, stretched out, and then 'laid' on his stomach. Lauren rolled his eyes before joining the other ghouls, who all took their places opposite of the boys. "Good luck." Tug whispered to Lauren.

"Good luck to you, too." Lauren replied with a competitive grin. The Colonel placed the ball in between Lauren and Tug. He briskly walked back to the sidelines where Miss Grimwood stood by a giant countdown. The Colonel blew his whistle just as Miss Grimwood started the countdown. It went from 40:00 to 39:59 and Lauren kicked the ball between Tug's legs, straight at Sibella who let it come to a rest against her foot before running off with it. As soon as she'd kicked the ball, Lauren ran past Tug and shielded Sibella from the other cadets. Suddenly Roger appeared on Sibella's other side and began closing in. "Sibella! Pass the ball!" Lauren ordered. Getting the idea Sibella kicked the ball. But instead of passing it to Lauren like everyone assumed she would because she was closest, Sibella kicked the ball over to Winnie. Because the cadets had all foolishly crowded Sibella and Lauren, Winnie had a clear field. It helped that she had the blood of the werewolf, as well as the speed of one. She ran her hardest and was quickly closing in on the goal. As she neared the goal, Winnie slowed her speed and shot. Grunt made a grab for it, but he was too tall. The ball rolled directly in between his two legs.

"Whoooo!" Winnie howled with excitement as the girls swarmed her.

Miss Grimwood called out "One to zero! Grimwood leads!" while Handy changed the scoreboard. The timer now read 34:38.

Grunt grunted as he picked up the soccer ball. He made a practice kick before an actual one that sent the ball nearly halfway across the field were Jamal was waiting. However, Phantasma was down there as well,

guarding him like she and Lauren had arranged earlier. Lauren inwardly beamed in her direction before she took off. She couldn't very well teleport all the way down there, that would be too obvious. As she made her way over to Phantasma and Jamal, Lauren was closing in on Tanis. "C'mon, Tanis. If we can get down there, we'll be able to help Phanty steal that ball and bring it back up here. You with me?" Lauren held out her fist.

"I am." Tanis replied, tapping her knuckles against Lauren's, all the while neither one of them broke their stride. Not a second later, Lauren saw something that made her wish she had teleported. Jamal kicked the ball at the same second that Phantasma went to block it, but she froze up when the ball came at her, and then it passed straight through her torso.

Lauren stopped running, afraid one of the cadets may have noticed that, but Jamal simply laughed, chased after the ball, and said "Better luck next time!" and he gave a powerful kick to the ball. Elsa made a valiant dive for it, but missed it by a centimeter.

"Yeah! All the way with Calloway!" the cadets cheered. The timer now read 28:49.

Lauren patted Elsa on the back and said "I'd say you'll do better the next time they get down here, but there's not going to be a next time. That ball's not passing the midline again if I can help it."

"But if it does, it's not getting past me." Elsa said confidently, rolling up her sleeves.

"That's the spirit, Elsa. And when you kick it off, aim towards me." Lauren replied.

"You got it, Lauren." Elsa said as Lauren looked away and checked on the cadets, who for some reason were still celebrating. Taking advantage of their ignorance, she teleported back into the field. The cadets finally calmed down and took their desired positions. The countdown clicked down as Elsa kicked her hardest, sending the ball flying at Lauren, who used her influence over the air to slow down the ball's descent to prevent a bruise. It landed nicely at her feet and not a second had passed when she kicked the ball in the direction of Grunt. Suddenly, Tug was by her side. He made a grab for the ball, but Lauren kept it out of his reach. "I take it your love for me doesn't extend to sporting events." she stated, picking up the pace.

"That's not true." Tug replied. "But I also have a love for winning." Tug added as he made another move for the ball.

Lauren tucked the ball around her legs before putting it in front of her yet again. She said "Well, good, because I feel the exact same way." and with that, she sped away. Tug groaned as Lauren laughed. As she neared the goal, Grunt bent his knees and extended his arms a little. Suddenly, Lauren made a sideways kick and the ball soared in the air, but not towards the goal. Instead it flew at Sibella. She forcefully kicked the ball, sending it past Grunt's unguarded right side. He had been expecting Lauren to try to score, not one of the other ghouls. The score was now 2:1 and the countdown now read 21:50.

The ghouls celebrated for a little bit but settled down after a minute. When they had, Grunt gave the ball the same type of kick he'd given last time. Knowing where it would land, Lauren quickly teleported to the spot and used her influence over the air to guide it directly towards her. She constantly checked the positions of the ghouls and the cadets. Sibella was guarding Roger, Winnie was guarding Miguel, Phantasma was guarding Jamal, and Tanis was guarding Baxter, but Tug was a free agent. This time he wasn't running beside Lauren, but about ten feet away. Lauren looked from him to the goal and laughed to herself. He couldn't have been in a better position to steal the ball for the cadets a foot before it went into the goal. He was a military man through and through, the way he could come up with an amazing strategy on the spot, in the middle of a very heated game. But Lauren was also good at deriving strategies on the spot. All she needed now was a way to signal one of the ghouls without attracting the attention of the cadet that was tailing them. If she couldn't signal one of the ghouls, she would have to get within an incredibly close range to the goal, but that would put Tug right on top of her. She could try to out run the clock, just keep the ball to herself until the timer hit 00:00. But that would be incredibly hard seeing as there was still nineteen minutes left in the game.

"Lauren!" Tanis cried suddenly.

"Huh?" Lauren muttered, confused, when she felt a good kick to her shin. She had been so preoccupied with Tug that she hadn't paid attention to the other cadets. Baxter easily kicked the ball out from her legs and made a U-turn, heading towards Elsa. So that had been the cadet's plan from the beginning.

"Whoo! Go Baxter!" Tug cried when suddenly Tanis was in front of Baxter and stole the ball from him.

"Yeah, Tanis!" Lauren cried excitedly. Tanis was running with the ball when suddenly Jamal kicked the ball free and began running with it. He was almost had the midline when Phantasma was in front of him. This time, the ball didn't go through her. She stopped it with her foot, and with a powerful kick, kicked it towards Winnie who was standing off to the side, unnoticed. Once she had the ball, Winnie took off towards the goal.

However, Tug had remained rooted there, another part of the cadet's strategy no doubt, and he intercepted her.

Smirking, Winnie said "You cadets are so gullible. You're not the only people with a strategy."

"What?" Tug called after her. But Winnie didn't reply. She simply kicked the ball over to Lauren who sent it into the goal. The score was no longer tied. It was three to one, with 18:27 left on the clock.

Grunt sent the ball into the air and there was a mad dash of people as they ran to go get it. This time instead of standing off to the side, Tug ran for it. Out of the massive swarm for the ball, he emerged, blonde hair flying in the wind as he ran, pushing ghouls out of his way. Since Lauren was still near Grunt and no one was focusing on her, she teleported towards where Elsa was. The tables had turned, the positions reversed. Tug noticed this as well and mock saluted Lauren as a smirk crossed her face. Confused as to why Lauren was smirking, Tug looked to his left before glancing back at Lauren, still confused. Lauren's chin jerked to the right before settling straight again. Tug looked over to the right just as Sibella knocked him over, stealing the ball out from under his feet. Grinning, Lauren teleported back over to Sibella and the two would pass the ball back and forth as the cadets neared them. They easily guided the ball over to the goal and with teamwork, sunk it in, bringing the score four to one, with a time of 10:19.

"Nice one, Sibella!" Lauren said, high fiving her. Even though there was only ten minutes left of the of the game, the cadets managed to score three more points, tying the game. Lauren was still confident in her and the ghoul's ability to pull through, after all they just needed to have one more point than the cadets to win the game. However, some of the ghouls weren't sharing her optimism.

"Oh it's no use. They scored three points in ten minutes and our lead is ruined. As soon as the next forty minutes start, they'll crush us." Winnie cried.

Lauren frowned before saying "Now don't say that, Winnie. You're usually one of the most confident people I know. What's with the sudden lack of self esteem?"

"No, she's right. The trophy from the volleyball game is the only one we're ever going to win." Elsa added.

"Whatever hope we had of winning is just dead weight now." Phantasma said glumly.

Lauren opened up her mouth to say something when Tanis interjected "Hey! You all need to pull yourselves together! We may not have our lead anymore, but we're not losing, either. And we are going to win that trophy."

Lauren stared at her, surprised Tanis had taken charge of that situation like that. "She's right." Sibella said. "You all are having a bat attitude. We can bring back our lead, but not if we're still moping when the game starts back up again." Again, Lauren was amazed by the pep talk.

She figured there was still something that could be said so she started "Both Tanis and Sibella are right. We do need to pull ourselves together. The score is tied. That means we're not losing. We're going to go out there and play our hardest, harder than what we played during the last forty minutes. You guys were fangtastic at keeping your powers on the down low but I think it's time we started using them as much as possible." This was met with confused glances from each of the ghouls.

"But I thought we wanted to keep our powers a secret from the cadets." Sibella said, confused.

"We do. I think we can manage to keep them a secret. Besides, they haven't noticed anything odd about the lot of us for the past however many years. They shouldn't start now." Lauren explained.

"She does make a good point." Winnie added as a smile blossomed on her lips.

Lauren smiled, glad the optimistic spirit was slowly leaking back into the rest of the ghouls. "My plan is this. We make at least one goal, which would put us in the lead, five to four. And once we have that goal made, we get the soccer ball from the cadets and keep it to ourselves until the timer goes off. Now if you can make a goal, make it, but we want to keep the ball out of their reach. If we can do that, we'll win the game for sure. What do you girls think?"

"Sounds like a plan." Elsa grinned, cracking her knuckles.

"This game is as good as won!" Winnie howled excitedly.

"Yeah, those cadets are going to lose yet again!" Phantasma cackled.

Sibella laughed, adding "Haha! You can say that again!"

"We're going to get a second trophy!" Tanis happily squealed.

Lauren beamed at them all, glad that optimism had filled the air once again. As the ghouls dispersed for a quick water break before the continuation of the game, Lauren felt a cold breeze blow on her. "Thanks, Jack. I needed that."

"No problem." he replied, sitting on the ground beside her. "Now, I'm no expert, but from what I've seen, you play a mean game of soccer."

"Coming from you that means a lot. Thanks." Lauren replied, flattered.

Jack waved his hand dismissively. "Eh, don't mention it. So have I been decent so far?"

Lauren smiled before sincerely saying "You've been great. But you need to keep it up for another forty minutes. And after that, you'll have to leave because we'll be celebrating our victory."

"Yeah, I overheard you talking. You gave a really nice pep talk out there. Those girls are really lucky to have you." Jack told her, running a hand through his unkempt hair.

"Yeah, well, thanks." Lauren said as adjusted her ponytail.

"I mean it. You seemed to hold them all together. At least half of them were ready to give up the game as a lost cause ten minutes ago. And now look at them." Jack pointed over to where the ghouls were standing. Lauren's eyes followed his finger and she smiled at what she saw. The ghouls were jumping around excitedly and talking to each other.

Sibella saw Lauren looking at them and waved her over. "Well that's my cue to leave. But I'll be watching."

Jack said as Lauren smiled at him before standing up and going over to where the ghouls were. He smiled down at the scene before flying back up into the sky. Lauren and those girls were going to win if he had anything to say about it. He flew down, closer to the field, ready for the last round.

Since the cadets had scored the last three goals, the Colonel had generously decided to allow the ghouls to have the ball first. Lauren was about to go take her position across from Tug when she had a thought. Whirling around, she asked "Do any of you want to start the game off instead of me?"

"No, that's okay, Lauren. We should keep the position we had last round." Tanis replied. The other ghouls nodded or through in a 'Yeah, she's right. Let's keep it the same.' type of comment.

"If you lot say so." Lauren replied, turning back around to face Tug. The Colonel blew his whistle, Miss Grimwood started the clock, and Lauren kicked the ball her hardest. She feinted kicking right and then sent it left. And when the guys went to chase after it, she flew half an inch above the ground so it looked like she was actually running, and took off. Winnie caught the ball with the edge of her foot, ran ten yards, and then propelled it towards Phantasma, who as quickly as she got it sent it to Tanis, who caught it with the edge of her tape and slung it high into the air, where it ricocheted off of Sibella's bat wing and over to where Lauren had been standing. She caught the ball with her toe, kicked it up into the air, spun around, and sent it flying over to where Tanis was standing. She threw her tape up in the air and dragged the ball down, spun in a circle, and let go.

The ball soared through the air and landed at Winnie's feet. However, Miguel had done a decent job of guarding her and took the ball from her. But the girl's had planned for everything and so when Miguel turned around to begin running with the ball, he hadn't counted on Phantasma to be standing there. He was trapped in between the two girls, which gave Tanis the perfect opportunity to run between all their legs, grabbed the ball, and then run away with it. She was running with the ball when Jamal and Baxter appeared in front of her, attempting to use the same strategy that Winnie and Phantasma had used on Miguel. However, the girls had foreseen the boys copying their routines and so they'd prepared for that as well. Tanis attached a piece of tape to the ball in order to hold onto it as she made a U-turn. She ran a little before flicking the ball over to where Sibella stood. She caught the ball, ran halfway to the goal, and kicked the ball to the other side of the court where Lauren rested. She threw the ball a foot in the air with the toe of her shoe before laying into it with the side of her foot. It flew so fast that Grunt actually ducked out of the way to avoid being hit by it. The ghouls all let out a collective cheer. The score was no longer tied. They were in the lead, five to four. And they'd eaten up a significant bit of the time, as they now only had 15:39 left on the clock.

They had used up over half of the time to make that one goal. Now that the ball was the cadets, they would just have to prevent them from scoring, or steal the ball from them. Grunt, embarrassed beyond belief that he'd let the girls score and get ahead of the cadets, kicked the ball as hard as possible. It soared well over the mid-line and was very close to Elsa.

Jack, who was watching earnestly, cringed. It would take a lot to turn that one back around for the girls. Jack then 'stood up' and clutched his staff in his hand. He knew he'd promised Lauren not to get involved but he had to try. He flew closer to the scene as one of the cadets approached the ball. Jack pointed his staff at the ground and blasted ice in the direction of the ball. When the cadet when to kick he, he fell flat on his back. Jack laughed to himself as he watched Lauren run over to go get the ball. When she saw Roger go down, she frowned to herself. Did he just slip? She glanced up and saw Jack. He quit laughing when he saw her staring at him. He shrugged and offered her a smile.

Lauren rolled her eyes as she continued running towards the ball, making sure to go around Roger and the patch of ice. Suddenly, Jamal was coming at her. Jack's eyes narrowed as he sent a blast of ice in Jamal's path. But Lauren had thought to go in that direction to steer around him. She placed her foot on the ground just as the ice hit, freezing her foot to the ground. Tugging on her leg, Lauren couldn't get free. Jamal ran past her, laughing, the ball with him. She spared him one glance before continuing to pull her leg free, when she got an idea. Not caring if the cadets were watching, she melted the ice. Unfortunately, just as she got her leg free, Jamal made the goal and Elsa missed. They were tied yet again, five to five. But this time, the clock read 05:42. Only one more goal could be scored during that time, and that was only if one team decided to give up.

Free of the ice, Lauren ran over to Miss Grimwood and the Colonel and said "Can I call a timeout? Give everyone a chance to get some water before the last six minutes end?"

"That's a lovely idea, Lauren. What do you think, Colonel?" Miss Grimwood asked.

"I suppose. My boys could use the extra time to practice and work on strategy, not that they need a break, of course." Colonel Calloway state smugly.

"Of course, Colonel." Lauren replied with a smile, too mad at Jack to care about the Colonel's cheek. She stomped over to where Jack was as he landed on the ground. "What did I tell you at the beginning of the game?" she asked him, her jaw hardening and her fists clenching.

"Not... not to interfere." Jack replied, his head hanging.

Her arms flinging out to the side, Lauren exclaimed "That's right. Not to interfere. And what did you do?"

Swallowing hard, Jack answered "I interfered."

"Yeah, you did! And you might have just cost us the game! We ran the clock out so much on that first goal and now we have less than six minutes to score another goal! The odds of us making a goal in that amount of time..." Lauren began to cry as she trailed off.

His hand reaching out to comfort her, Jack told her "Hey, hey. Don't cry. I'm sorry, Lauren. I didn't mean to ruin your game. I was just trying to help."

Lauren swatted away his hand away as she commanded "Well stop trying, Jack. In fact, I think it would be better for everyone if you left."

"What?" he asked, hurt.

"You heard me. Look, I have to get back to the ghouls. By the time the game starts up again, make sure you're not here." and with that, Lauren ran back over to the ghouls, willing herself to quit crying. She drank some water as the girls swarmed around her.

"What are we going to do?" Tanis wailed.

"Yeah, we're tied again." Winnie added mournfully.

"With less than six minutes left." Phantasma cried.

Lauren frowned for a second before saying "Listen up, girls. Is the game over yet? No, it's not. During the last game the cadets scored three goals in ten minutes so why can't we score one goal in six? If they can do it three times, we can certainly do it once."

"What's the plan?" Elsa asked.

"Remember how we ran the clock down?" Lauren began.

"But that took twenty five minutes." Phantasma stated.

"We'll do it faster. Keep the ball going from person to person, while working our way up the court, that way the cadets don't know who to go for." Lauren said, a plan already formulating in her mind.

"Not a bat idea, Lauren. I think it will work." Sibella encouraged.

"Yeah, we'll win this for sure!" Tanis optimistically exclaimed.

"We can do it!" Elsa agreed.

"All we have to do is score a single goal and keep the cadets from getting the ball and we'll win this." Lauren said. She eyed every ghoul in front of her before continuing "Are you girls with me?"

"Yeah!" was the unanimous reply.

"Then let's go win this game!" Lauren cried as they all participated in a group hug.

The break was over. Elsa was given the ball and the ghouls took their positions on the field. Lauren gave them a thumbs up before bending her knees. Elsa threw the ball in the air and gave it a hearty kick, sending it into the cadet's side. Lauren used her ability of control over the air to send it to Phantasma who ran with the ball. Jamal stood in her path. Fixing her gaze, she ran up to him, kicked the ball between his legs, and ran right through him. She continued to run with the ball before sending it to Winnie. Winnie gripped the ball with her claws, managing not to puncture it, and kicked it back across the court, this time to Sibella. In human for, Sibella ran with the ball before kicking it high into the air, turning into a bat, and hitting the ball with her wing over to Tanis. Tanis began running with the soccer ball when suddenly Roger jumped in front of her. "Not today kid." he said as he ran towards her. Suddenly he fell on his back for the second time that day, having slid on a patch of ice.

Roger groaned as Tanis passed him, but not before making the comment "Looks like you need to chill out, cadet." She then attached a lasso of her tape around the ball before spinning in a circle and slinging it over to Lauren, who spun in the air, and hit the ball straight into the goal, just as the clock hit 00:00. The score was now six to five.

"We won! We won!" Lauren cried as the ghouls crowded her. They ran over to Miss Grimwood and the Colonel, where Miss Grimwood handed Lauren the trophy and she was instantly crowded around by the girls.

"You were fangtastic, Lauren!" Sibella cheered.

"We were all fangtastic!" Lauren replied, grinning hugely at the girls. Lauren turned to Tanis and said "Here, Tanis. Take this for your mummy case. Now you'll have two." and she handed the young ghoul the trophy.

"Wow! Thanks, again, Lauren!" Tanis replied, hugging the trophy to her chest.

Elsa, Phantasma, and Sibella scooped Lauren up, Winnie and Tanis cheering around them. "What did I tell you girls? I told you we would win! You all played magnificently!" Lauren exclaimed, holding up her phone and getting them all to smile, she took a victory selfie.

Laughing, she turned her phone off before she looked over at the cadets. They were moping around. "Now, now, men." the Colonel said. "The Calloway code dictates we retreat with dignity." But the cadets paid no attention to him. They seemed pretty beat up about their loss. Lauren slid out of the girl's arms and walked over to Miss Grimwood. She whispered something in the old woman's ear.

Whatever it was caused Miss Grimwood to smile before she whispered back "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Lauren." Taking a deep breath, Lauren walked over to where the cadets stood and said "You guys played really well out there. It was a great game, one of the best I've ever played. I mean, we were tied up until the last five minutes. It was anyone's game til the very end. But, um, I, we," Lauren denoted to herself and the other ghouls before continuing "Were wondering if you'd like to spend Christmas with us?"

Lauren waited for the 'No!'s, 'With you girls? I don't think so's, and 'Are you crazy? Of course we don't!'s to start coming but instead she heard "I'd love to." Of course that came from Tug so it wasn't that big of an accomplishment. But once Tug spoke up, the other guys chimed in with "Yeah, sure.", "I suppose so.", and "I'll be there."

That was something Lauren hadn't been expecting. But she masked her shock with a smile. "That's great! I know we're all looking forward to seeing you guys in a couple of days. It'll be really fun celebrating Christmas together!" And with that she was scooped up yet again by the ghouls and they carried her back towards the castle, Miss Grimwood walking behind them. Lauren managed to turn around, made eye contact with Tug, and smiled at him. Tug smiled back and waved. Lauren waved at him and blew him a kiss, which he caught and held against his lips. Lauren grinned before turning back around and enjoyed the feeling of victory.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Twelve Seeds and a Story**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

* * *

A little after the game, Lauren had changed out of her soccer uniform and into a pair of jean shorts, a lacy white shirt, and a pair of navy Jack Rogers. She'd also taken her hair out of the ponytail and put it up in a messy bun. She was in the process of peeling an orange when there was a knock on her window. Lauren hopped off of her window seat and opened it up, Jack jumping inside. Lauren sat down on her cushioned window seat and continued to peel her orange. Jack sat down beside her. Not looking up from her peeling, Lauren said "I saw what you did out there, towards the end."

"I wanted to make up for what I did earlier." Jack said with a shrug.

"Normally I'd tell you that cheating is wrong, but I suppose it evened you out. So thanks. For me, and the girls." Lauren told him with a small smile.

"Well you're welcome." Jack replied, sliding closer to her. "You know, those girls really look up to you. You've got a special relationship with them."

"I do." Lauren replied before adding "But I also look up to them. Before them, my friends were only human. And so I adapted. I ate human food and did human things, I even went to a human school and have a human boy friend. But that's not who I am. I'm part monster, part... something else entirely. But with these girls, I fit in with them. I don't have to hide anything. I can use my powers without them freaking out. In fact they love it when I use my powers. I can talk about my parents freely with them. I can eat foods that other monsters eat that humans wouldn't, even though I do enjoy human food, note the orange. By the way, do you want a slice?" Lauren asked, having finished peeling it.

"Sure." Jack said, picking one out and popping it in his mouth. After Jack swallowed, he continued "You care a lot for those girls, huh?"

"They mean everything to me. I would do anything for them." Lauren replied truthfully.

A small smile covered Jack's face as he looked down at her. "I'm still sorry about almost ruining your soccer game." Jack said.

"That's all right, Jack, after all, you did help us score the winning shot. And I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. You were just trying to help out." Lauren apologized then as she looked him in the eye.

"Water under the bridge." Jack replied with a wave of his hand. Lauren threw the peel of the orange away and set the seeds in a small bottle on the window sill. Jack quirked up an eyebrow and asked "What do you plan on doing with those?"

"I'm going to plant them, obviously. I mean, why throw away a dozen perfectly good orange seeds when I could plant them, and using a bit of my inherited magic, turn them into an orange tree?" Lauren told him, informing him of her plans.

"But it's too cold up here for oranges." Jack stated dully.

"Not when your Mother Nature's daughter, it's not." Lauren proclaimed boldly.

Jack rolled his eyes before saying "You're the plant expert so I won't say anything else about the orange."

Lauren smiled then, and replied "I know I am and I know you won't."

Jack laughed for a second before saying "So I overheard you invite those Cadets over for a Christmas celebration."

Lauren spared a glance at the cadet's school from the window before turning back to Jack and saying "Yes I did. There's been a rivalry between the two school's since their very foundation. I figure it's about time we relieve some of the tension and bring some closure. A Christmas celebration should do that."

"Will it last all day?" Jack inquired airily.

"Probably not. The Colonel will want the cadets to burn off any calories they consume, as soon as possible. Why do you ask?" probed Lauren.

"Well, the thing is, on Christmas day North always throws a giant party and invites all of the Guardians. We exchange presents, drink hot chocolate and eggnog, eat cookies and fruitcake, but mostly listen to North blab about his trip around the world, with the occasional interjection from Bunny." Jack informed her.

Lauren snorted before asking "When is it? Because I'm still having Christmas with the girls and the cadets, but I wouldn't mind joining you guys later."

Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully before asking "That depends. When will the cadets will be joining you?"

Lauren was quick to respond. "Probably in the afternoon. Miss Grimwood mentioned something about a Christmas dinner."

"Then you can come right after. North usually starts it after sunset." Jack said.

Lauren pondered this for a minute before she said "Yeah, okay. I'll come. But I may be a little late."

Shrugging, he told her "Better late than never. Besides, I'll need somebody to talk to while North regales how his journey went. And don't think you'll get out of it, either. He hasn't failed to tell us how it went ever since he became a Guardian according to Bunny and Tooth. I asked Sandy, but all I got were those hieroglyphic things above his head. I assume he said the same as the others, but you can never tell with that guy."

"Ha," Lauren laughed before adding, "I look forward to it. But man, every kid on earth would die to be in the same position I'm in. I mean, I get to spend Christmas with Santa Claus himself."

Jack examined his nails and said "Aren't you forgetting somebody?"

Lauren smiled coyly before replying "Oh yeah! How could forget how much jealousy I'll ensue when I'm not just spending Christmas with Santa but the Easter Bunny as well."

"And?" Jack egged her on.

"I can't forget Tooth! Oh I'm going to have so much fun hanging out with her! Oh, and Sandy, too! I love the little pictures he always has above his head." Lauren amended.

"I meant yours truly. Forget just the kids, anyone would die for the chance to hang out with me on Christmas." Jack told her egotistically.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Lauren replied with a smirk plastered on her face. She leaned her head on his shoulder and said "Though I do enjoy spending time with you, Jack."

Jack wrapped his arm around Lauren's shoulders and replied "I enjoy spending time with you, too, Lauren. Things have been so interesting ever since you came around."

"'Interesting' is one word for it. I was thinking along the lines of 'terrifying' or 'scarring for life' but to each his own I suppose." Lauren replied.

Jack laughed before saying "Well, I like having you around. I'm really glad you joined. When your mom was first asked to be a Guardian, we thought for sure she was going to say no and fly off to some corner of the world where we'd never see her again."

"Wait, what?" Lauren asked, picking her head off of Jack's shoulder.

"Yeah. She didn't want to join for a good bit. Why? Do you not know the story of how your mom became a Guardian?" Jack asked, sure she was joking.

"No. You have to tell me right now." Lauren replied, grabbing onto Jack's sweatshirt collar with both of her hands.

"Okay, okay. I will. But you'll have to let go of me first." Lauren released the grip she had on him and leaned back against a pillow. Clearing his throat, Jack began "Your mom was a Guardian centuries before I became one, but I know the gist of her Guardian initiation. It was during the sixteenth century. Your mother was part of one of the first British colonies in America. Her and her family were in the Appalachian area of North Carolina. She was eighteen when they died. Her whole village was burned to the ground. She survived only because she was out gathering food at the time. She left her village and wandered around in the woods where she ran into a bear. Now, the crazy part here, is that the bear didn't rip her face off. It befriended her, even though she hadn't gained her powers as Mother Nature yet. Anyway, after a few days she joined a group of Cherokee hunters who took her back to their village. There, it was discovered that the bear that was hanging out with your mom was what the Cherokee called the 'Spirit Bear'. Apparently it had the spirit of one of their greatest generals living inside him. And he'd chosen your mother to be his guide. She spent over a month with the Cherokee, learning the way of war. Which was convenient because after that month, an enemy tribe declared war on the Cherokee. Your mom and the Spirit Bear lead the Cherokee into battle and they won, but not before your mom was killed by the chief of the enemy tribe. But the Man in the Moon had seen her bravery and courage, the way she fought, and the connection she had with the Spirit Bear, and decided to make her Mother Nature, protector of plants and animals everywhere. About fifty years passed, and it was during then that that dude we just defeated, Grim, was at large. The Man in the Moon suggested your mom to the Guardians to join us. She was brought to North's Palace, just like you, and we asked her to be a Guardian. Now, it took a bit to persuade you to join, but your mom, well, she didn't feel like she was special enough to join. I know it sounds weird, but that was her argument. And it was a decent one, from her point of view. After all, she'd been brought back from the dead and left alone for fifty years with nothing but plants and animals for company. It took us fighting Grim, and winning, for her to finally agree to join us."

Lauren was silent for a moment as she took all of that in. She clutched the pillow she'd been holding against her chest as she thought about everything Jack had just told her. Her mom, the most wonderful person on the planet, had been even more amazing than Lauren had imagined. She'd had a magic bear that was at her command and fought with the Cherokee who were only the coolest group of people in American history. Finally she said "Wow. I had no idea about any of that."

"Yeah, you're mom was awesome." Jack replied, smiling as his mind took a trip down memory lane.

Suddenly Lauren blurted "Why did my mother leave you for my father?"

Jack froze before he turned to look at her. "You know that story, don't you?"

"Yeah but only from my father and he tends to skip over the finer details of things. I mean, he never told me how my mother became a Guardian, now did he?" Lauren pointed out. She wanted answers and so far Jack was the only person who both could and would tell her what she wanted to know.

"No, he didn't." Jack replied before sighing and saying "If you really want to know, I suppose I'll tell you. She, er, came to me one day and asked if she could speak to me for a moment. I said sure. The next thing I know it's 'Jack, you're a great guy and I love you, I really do, but I think it's in both of our best interests if we were to take a break from each other. I'm sorry.' and so I was dumped. I was absolutely heartbroken because I had truly loved her and couldn't fathom why she'd called it off. It wasn't until later when I heard about her marriage with Pitch and the reason behind it. She'd left me because her and your father had made an agreement with each other. If your mother married your father, then he would quit terrorizing the children of the world and leave the Guardians alone. It was out of love for everyone else that she did it. They'd been married for about fifty years before she finally came to love him back. It was a year after that when you were born."

Lauren blinked for a second before she wrapped her arms tightly around Jack's torso. "I'm so sorry, Jack. I had no idea. That must have been so hard to go through. I don't know what I'd do if I had to leave Tug."

A small smile graced Jack's face as he hugged her back. Lauren pressed her face into his shoulder, enjoying how soft his sweatshirt felt against her skin. "Do you want me to stay here with you or should I get going?" Jack asked her, pulling back for a moment.

Not moving away from him, Lauren spoke, muffled by Jack's sweatshirt. "Either way works for me. You do what you need to do. Oh, and we no longer need it to be warm so feel free to let it snow on your way out."

"I'll give you guys the perfect white Christmas. I'll see you at North's party, Lauren." Jack promised.

"And I'll see you, Jack," Lauren replied, smiling at him. Jack smiled back before quickly leaning forward and planting a kiss on her forehead. Before Lauren could do anything in response, he opened up the window, and jumped out, catching a ride on a gust of wind. Lauren stuck her head out the window and watched him fly away. As Jack disappeared from sight, snow soon took his place. Smiling, Lauren shut her window and fell against the window seat.

She took the pillow out from under her head and held it over her face. After a minute, she put it back, and stared out the window, not sure quite how she felt about all of the information that had been unloaded onto her. Blinking back tears, Lauren held the pillow close to her chest, overcome with emotions. The fact that she had never actually been told any real information about her mother up until this very moment hit her hard and fast. It bothered her greatly that she had to rely on Jack rather than be told this by her father, or even her mother herself before she had died. Clenching the pillow, Lauren felt engulfed in utter rage. Slamming the pillow onto the window couch, Lauren threw herself onto it and let out a muffled scream. Tears began streaming out of her face, frustrated beyond anything words could convey. Nobody ever told her anything unless she begged someone and they got annoyed to the point where they'd tell her anything and she'd had enough. After a moment, she straightened up and wiped her eyes. "Crying will get you nowhere." she snapped at herself. Adjusting the pillows on her window couch so it looked as though nothing had happened, Lauren sighed. She shouldn't be that frustrated for she now had a person who would tell her any and everything he knew about her parents and her life. Smiling slightly to herself, Lauren was glad she could rely on Jack. It was nice to know she could count on at least one person.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Technicalities**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC

* * *

It was Christmas Eve. Lauren was sporting a pair of black leggings, black fuzzy boots, and a very festive Christmas sweater. The sweater in question was gray with a white pattern on it and red reindeer at random intervals. She skipped into the foyer, humming Christmas carols under her breath. The foyer was beautifully decorated. There were garlands and holly on the walls with wreaths and bows at random intervals, and colorful strings of lights wound through the green garlands. Mistletoe had also been placed around the room, more for the benefit of Tug and Lauren then anyone else. And in the center of the room, the piece de resistance, stood a twenty foot tall Christmas tree. It was a beautiful pine that was smothered in ornaments, real candy canes, colorful lights, popcorn and cherry strings, and a beautiful star. It had also been given a smattering of snow. Lauren could have easily produced fake snow to put on the tree but it looked much nicer having real snow on the tree. And it'd been nothing to pull it off once she found the preserving spell in the spell book her father had given her. With the spell, the snow was safe from even the hottest of heats, which was good since there was a roaring fire in the fireplace, from which hung six stockings; one for each of the ghouls. It had taken some serious shaking down before Miss Grimwood conceded to the Christmas celebration but Lauren had persisted until she got the answer she'd wanted. Lauren smiled, placing her hands over her heart in content at the beauty of the room. It looked just as good as it did at her house every year. Once done looking at her handiwork, she scaled the stairs up to her bedroom, which was just as decorated. There was a smaller Christmas tree in her room, this one only five feet tall, but it was decorated the same as the one in the foyer, if only on a smaller scale. Snow globes and little trinkets were lined up above the fireplace which was roaring with a crackling fire. Under her tree was a stack of presents, but those weren't for her. They were for the ghouls and the cadets. The presents for her friends and cousins had already been shipped. The ghouls had been easy to shop for, but the cadets, with the exception of Tug, had proved difficult at the beginning. Nonetheless, Lauren was sure they'd love what she'd gotten them. She didn't care if she received anything, she had everything she could've wanted. Walking over to her nightstand, Lauren picked up the glass of milk and plate of cookies before carrying them back upstairs. She placed them by the tree before placing a card beside them. It was made of thick, white paper, and had on it

 _'North, I hope you enjoy the cookies. I look forward to coming to your Christmas party tomorrow, or today, depending on when you visit this house. Anyways, Merry Christmas! ~ Lauren'_

in loopy, green and red writing. It may have seemed early to be putting out the perishable milk but Lauren had put a preserving spell on them both, just as she'd done with the snow in the Christmas tree. She then took out a second plate of cookies, concealed it in her coat, and teleported over to the cadet's school. She knocked on the door and was surprised to see Tug answer it. But she quickly got over the shock and said "Merry Christmas eve.", pecked him on the lips, and showed him the plate of cookies. "I thought you and the other cadets would like a little taste of what the girls and I've been baking for tomorrow." Lauren told him.

"You know we would." Tug said, stealing one from the plate.

Lauren nudged him in the ribs as he ate it before saying "You have to leave some for the other boys."

"Hey, all's fair in love and war and when it comes to food, it's war around here. Especially your food." Tug replied, grabbing another.

Lauren didn't protest this time. Instead, when he finished, Lauren said "You have some crumbs on your face. Let me get them for you." And she craned her neck before placing her lips onto Tug's. Tug, enjoying her visit more and more every second, kissed her back. After a moment, they pulled apart. Lauren lifted up the plate before saying "They're not going to stay warm forever. Perhaps we should go visit the others." Tug nodded before pushing the door to the cadet's room open.

Inside the boys were lounging about, either reading comic books or throwing a foam football around from their beds. "Who was at the door, Tug?" Jamal asked.

"Oh, no one important." Tug replied, waving his hand dismissively.

In response to that, Lauren said "That's no way to treat your girl friend. Especially when she brought cookies. Compliments of me and the other girls." At the word 'cookies' the boys all turned to stare at her with hungry eyes. Suddenly, they all jumped out of their beds and ran over to her. Lauren laughed as they each grabbed as many cookies as they could hold, each offering their thanks and gratitude as they did so. Soon the plate was completely cookie clean with not even a crumb left. After a moment, she said "Well, I better skedaddle before the Colonel shows up and wonders why I'm in you boy's bedroom." She tucked the plate under her arm, kissed Tug on the lips for a moment, and walked out the door.

She'd just left their room before spinning around and teleporting into Miss Grimwood's kitchen. Inside, she walked around to make sure all the food and beverages for tomorrow were still good, before she went to go wash the dish. Once it was clean, Lauren put it away before walking back up to her room. It had been extremely fun decorating and baking with the ghouls that day and Lauren had actually been saddened when there was nothing left to do as far as decorating went. Walking into her room, Lauren checked the time. It was only eight o'clock. There was enough time to watch a movie. Lauren dashed into her room, turned on her laptop, and then went to ask the ghouls if they were interested.

Sibella's room was right beside Lauren's so that's where she went first. She lightly knocked on the door before it was opened. "Lauren! It's simply fangtastic of you to drop by. What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to watch a Christmas movie before going to bed." Lauren asked, leaning against the door frame.

"You bat I do!" Sibella eagerly replied.

"Great. Then you can help me round up the other ghouls. We'll meet in my room." With that, Sibella entered the hallway with Lauren, shut her door, turned into a bat, and took off down the hall towards Winnie's room.

Lauren went in the opposite direction, towards the basement. She first came to Tanis's room. Walking inside, Lauren looked around, searching for the younger ghoul. "Tanis? Are you in here?"

The mummy suddenly appeared in front of her. "Hey, Lauren."

"Hey, Tanis. I was wondering if you wanna go up with me to my room and watch a Christmas movie?" Lauren asked her with a winning grin.

Tanis smiled hugely before replying "That sounds great! When do we go?"

Lauren thought for a second before replying "Well, I still need to get Phanty, but after that we can head on up."

"Did somebody say my name?" Came a voice.

Lauren looked over to the source and smiled. Phantasma's head was poking out of the wall. Lauren walked over to it before saying "I did. I was wondering if you wanted to come with us and watch a Christmas movie?"

"Hahaha! Sounds great!" Phantasma chortled before disappearing. Though her head quickly reappeared and asked "Which room?"

"Mine." Lauren replied with a laugh.

"Haha!" Phantasma giggled joyously before disappearing yet again.

Lauren waited to make sure she was actually gone this time before saying "We can head up now, Tanis."

Tanis grabbed a stuffed Sphinx before asking "Before we do, do you think we could swing by the kitchen so I can get a cup of swamp water? I'm parched."

"Sure, we can go to the kitchen. But I can do you one better than swamp water." When the two entered the kitchen, Lauren pulled six mugs out of the cabinet, dusted them off, and poured milk into each of them. Once the milk had been poured, Lauren set her hands on fire and heated the milk until it was near boiling. She then dropped several ounces of chocolate into each cup and stirred, turning the milk brown. She proceeded to carefully clutch each mug, lowering the temperature of each until it was moderately hot, before adding marshmallows and whip cream to the top of each mug. Once she'd finished, Lauren handed a mug to Tanis, and asked "What do you think?"

Tanis took a sip before saying "I love it! What is it?"

"It's called hot chocolate and it's my favorite thing to drink this time of year. Do you think you could help me get the rest of these upstairs?" Lauren asked, already grabbing a mug.

"Sure," Tanis replied, using her bandages to grab the remaining four just as Lauren was about to grab her second.

She smiled and turned to face Tanis, who was having absolutely no trouble supporting five mugs of hot chocolate. Not doubting the mummy's strength, Lauren simply said "I'm ready to head on up if you are."

"I am! I can't wait to see that Christmas movie. What's it about?" Tanis inquired as Lauren snagged a tray of cookies before heading up.

"I'm not sure which one we'll watch first. I was going to let you guys decide. But they'll all be hilarious, I can tell you that." Lauren patted Tanis on the head in an offhand manner before getting the door for her, seeing as her hands, or rather bandages, were full. The other ghouls were already inside. Once Lauren and Tanis had entered, Lauren shut the door behind her and set the cookies and her mug on the mantel as Tanis passed out the four unclaimed mugs of hot chocolate which all the ghouls experimentally sipped at. Lauren grabbed her laptop and a fistful of DVDs before sitting down with the ghouls in front of the fire. She showed them three movies and said "These are three of my favorite Christmas movies, and happen to be the only Christmas movies I have on DVD. They are Elf, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Santa Claus. Elf is about a human raised by elves before he embarks on a journey into New York City to discover his real dad. It's really, really funny and is probably my favorite Christmas movie. How The Grinch Stole Christmas is about this really hateful, green man who hates Christmas and tries to ruin it for his neighbors before he finally realizes that Christmas is awesome and fixes everything. Lastly, The Santa Claus is about this snarky businessman who accidentally kills Santa and because of this has to become the new Santa. It sounds like it's dark and scary, but it's really funny. They're all really funny, actually, and now that I think about it, I've said that a lot, but no matter. So which one do you lot want to watch tonight?" It took a few minutes, but finally 'Elf' was the agreed upon movie. Lauren started it up before retrieving her mug of hot chocolate and the tray of cookies from the mantel. The ghouls were more than happy to stuff their faces while the previews played, but after a moment, the main movie started up. They crowded around Lauren and her laptop as the introduction started up. With the warm fire washing over them, the blankets and pillows snugly embracing them, the hot chocolate and cookies they were eating, filling them with a warm sensation, and the happiness they were feeling from simply being together, the ghouls all felt a dreamy feeling take them as the night wore on. It was interrupted at several points when there was a funny moment, but when the movie finally ended, no one was inclined to get up and leave the room so Lauren simply put on some Christmas music, turned the volume down, and let all the glowing warmth lull her, as well as the other ghouls, to sleep.

Lauren, never the heavy sleeper, woke up at the sound of shuffling downstairs. She quickly untangled herself from the other ghouls and the blankets before making her way down stairs. It was most likely going to be North, but one could never be too sure. Lauren crept out of her room before walking down the hallway. She could've teleported, but if the intruder wasn't North, then there could be more than one, and if she teleported, she could pass one by accidentally. Arriving at the beginning of the staircase, Lauren peered down it and into the foyer to see a relatively large man sifting through an even larger sack, the milk and cookies gone. Beaming, Lauren descended the stairs, making sure to avoid the ones she'd learned were creaky from her time at Grimwood's. Once on the same level as North, she cleared her throat. Caught by surprise, North turned around. But upon seeing Lauren, he smiled. "I didn't know you visited the Guardian's house and left them presents. I thought that was reserved for your party."

North mischievously grinned before coyly saying "It is. But you are still a child so I figure I'd leave you a few... minor gifts. By the way, I love what you've done with the place."

"You mean you've visited this school before?" Lauren asked incredulously.

"Of course I have. Monster children are still children, after all. But it's never this nicely decorated. Or decorated at all, as a matter of fact." North replied, tacting the last part on as an after statement.

Lauren smiled knowingly. "Believe me, it took some shaking down to do, but I managed to convince them that Christmas was just as, well not just as, nearly as good as Halloween. And don't go getting all offended. I love Christmas, but around here, Halloween is sorta the most important day of the entire year for reasons I'm sure you can work out yourself.

"While we're on the subject of technicalities, why aren't you asleep?" North asked, denoting to her pajamas.

Crossing her arms defensively, Lauren told him off. "I was asleep, actually, but I heard you moving around down here and I had to check it out."

North looked shocked. "You heard me? Impossible. I'm as subtle as it gets when I come down the chimney."

"About as subtle as a train wreck, maybe. If you must know, I'm an incredibly light sleeper, and with all the people who've attempted to do away with me and the girls as of late, I'm sure you can understand why I may be a little on edge."

North gave her a sympathetic smile before replying "Yes, I understand. And I hate to end our pleasant conversation, but there are millions more children I need to get to."

"Have you been to the cadet's school yet?" Lauren asked, stopping him in his tracks.

"Da, I went there before hopping over here." North replied, ready to leave.

Lauren suddenly had a thought. "Wait!" she feverishly whispered to North, who was already in the process of going up the chimney.

"Yes?" he asked, patiently enough.

"If you don't mind my asking, what do they normally set out for you here and at the cadet's school?"

North laughed before replying "At your cadet's school, I'm usually left a bottle of water and a protein bar." To which Lauren muttered "Figures." before North continued by saying "And here, well, it's spoiled milk and cockroach cookies."

Lauren laughed before saying "Again, that figures. As for the cockroach cookies, they're actually pretty tasty. I hope you gave them a try." She laughed even more at North's face.

They waved goodbye to each other before North replied "And no peeking."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Lauren replied innocently as he gave her a stern look which quickly melted into a smile, and shot back up the chimney. Lauren heard him take off before teleporting back to her room. There were no burglars or serial killers breaking into the house so she figured it'd be alright if she took the easy way. She silently sank back into her spot from earlier, fluffed her pillow, pulled the blankets over her, downed the fire, turned off the Christmas music that she'd left running, and went back to sleep, eagerly awaiting tomorrow morning.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: TVs and Snowballs**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC

* * *

The next morning, Lauren was the first person to wake up. She checked her outfit and decided it wasn't dirty enough that she'd need to change, quickly straightened her hair, and woke the ghouls. "Guys, c'mon! There are presents downstairs!" she exclaimed, ripping blankets off of them. As soon as the blanket was ripped off of Winnie, she leapt up and began running towards the door, Tanis hot on her trails. Suddenly the door slammed shut in their faces. That woke up Sibella, Phantasma, and Elsa. "C'mon, wake up! It's Christmas morning!" That last sentence erased any hint of grogginess from the ghouls, who all stood up and raced down the stairs, all except for Phantasma who cheated and simply ghosted through the floorboards, arriving at the tree much earlier than the other ghouls. Before they tore into their presents, Lauren suddenly asked "Wait, what about Miss Grimwood? Shouldn't she be down here?"

Elsa shook her head, saying "No, Miss Grimwood doesn't mind when we open presents from Santa. She's only interested in seeing us when we open the things she got for us, which she'll do when the cadet's show up later today."

"Oh, okay." Lauren replied. Having no other reason to stop herself from tearing apart her presents, she found the ones with her name on it and ripped the wrapping paper off. North had done good by her. Earlier, when she heard him say minor, she'd naturally assumed that he meant her gifts would revolve around ugly Christmas sweaters and school supplies. But she was holding in front of her hundreds of dollars worth of items. Every scrap of clothing she'd ogled at in shop windows but hadn't bought was now in her possession. There were also accessories, purses, perfumes, lotions, makeup, and shoes. She languished over her new Michael Kors and Burberry bags, her Denny & George and Hermes scarves, the new Jack Rogers, Jimmy Choos, and Lucky Brand riding boots. There was a beautiful Lilly Pulitzer vest that Lauren couldn't wait to wear the next day, as well as several beautiful dresses that would be perfect for any occasion. There was perfume and lotion from Philosophy which smelled so good that if her nose died, it would die happy. There was also a makeup bag full of Lancome products. There were also a dozen new shirts that Lauren clutched happily to her chest before refolding and carefully putting back in their boxes, as well as a few pairs of skinny jeans that seemed almost custom cut to fit her body. Not to mention three new pairs of silk pajamas. Lauren wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye before looking up, a smile on her face. It was as though North had gotten inside of her mind and read every square inch of it in order to bring her the perfect gifts. And he had done exceedingly well at it. Taking a break from admiring her many presents, Lauren began picking up her wrapping paper and molding it together into a ball when she discovered an envelope. It must have been knocked down in the frenzy to see what they'd been brought. Lauren flipped it over to see who it was addressed to. It was for her. Setting the wrapping paper down, Lauren opened up the envelope and took out the letter.

Unfolding it, she read

 _'Lauren, I hope you enjoy the presents. You'd have more if I wasn't saving the best for when you arrive at the Pole for the party tonight, which is going to be_ epic!'

Lauren stopped reading for a second to laugh. That had to be North's favorite adjective. The man used it to describe everything. After laughing a bit longer, she continued to read.

 _'I hope your little Christmas party at your school goes well and the extra decorations I set up last night won't go unnoticed.'_

Again, Lauren stopped. That last bit left her really confused. "What extra decorations?" Lauren mumbled under her breath as she looked around. There weren't any new additions to the walls, the tree, or the fireplace. Glancing up at the roof, Lauren froze. It was entirely covered in mistletoe. Groaning at what the cadets would think when they sat that display, she gave the room another check to make sure there was nothing else she would need to take down. Once satisfied, Lauren started up reading again.

 _'I hope I did right by the other students at both your school and the neighboring one. I really tried to pull out all the stops for them this year. I thought you would appreciate the gesture, considering how much they all mean to you, though I would have done it regardless. Also, consider this yet another thank you for joining the Guardians and saving the world. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and an epic New Year! Can't wait to see you_ _later_

 _~ North.'_

Lauren shook her head with a smile and went to fold up the letter when she saw there was more writing on the back. Flipping the paper, she read

 _'P.S. The cookies you made were indescribably delicious. You must give me the recipe sometime soon.'_

Lauren then folded up the letter, stuck it back in her envelope, and went back to throwing away the wrapping paper, planning on writing down the recipe for North later. Once the paper was thrown away, Lauren began organizing what she'd been given. She stacked the boxes on top of each other before placing the letter on the very top, and examining the other ghouls to see what they'd gotten. Sibella, too, had been given clothing and makeup. 'A girl after my own heart.' thought Lauren as Sibella showed Winnie what she'd been given. Winnie, not surprisingly, had been given several various sporting goods that she was saying were much better than what Sibella had received. But she'd also gotten a few dresses, which were much needed because the ones she wore all had some form of rip or hole in them. Elsa had gotten a bunch of machinery parts and was excitedly sorting through them. Phantasma had been given a brand new pipe organ, this one twice the size of hers. She was happily playing it and it sounded amazing. It had apparently come with a bunch of new sheet music, and some of it was Christmas themed, because Phantasma was playing 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' at the moment. Lastly, Tanis had received several things, one of them being different types of bandages for her. One of them was supposed to be impervious to water, which was good since the little mummy loved playing in bogs. There was a box of wrapping that had designs on it or were colored in order to give her a bit of variety with her outfits since the wrapping was her clothing. She'd also gotten several Egyptian relics to make her feel more at home. Apart from Lauren, Tanis was the newest arrival. But Lauren was able to skip the homesick phase almost after being there for twenty four hours because she was nearly ten years older than Tanis. Tanis had gotten a miniature, but to scale, replica of the Great Pyramids, and each pyramid was almost as big as she was. She'd also gotten some Egyptian themed jewelry. And the last gift, the most unbelievably practical thing Lauren had ever seen before, an inflatable sarcophagus. It was like an air mattress, except it was for mummies on the road to make them feel more comfortable. Lauren placed a hand over her heart before sighing in content. North had really pulled out all the stops for these girls, her girls, just like he said he'd done in his letter. She wondered what he'd done for the cadets. It was probably just as amazing. And revolved around food if he had gotten into their minds like he'd done with Lauren and the other ghouls. Chuckling to herself, Lauren went to wash the dishes North had used before entering the foyer. The ghouls were still gushing about their presents.

"What did you get, Lauren?" Sibella asked her as Lauren went to take her stuff into her room.

Putting it all back down, Lauren replied "Clothes! Lots of gorgeous clothes! And shoes! Several cute pairs of those. Not to mention several purses, scarves, lotion, perfume, and Lancome. What did you get, Sibella?"

"The same fangtastic things you did! Clearly you're the only one with good taste around here." Sibella replied, pointedly looking at Winnie.

"Don't think I didn't hear that." Winnie replied, glaring at Sibella.

Laughing, Lauren asked "What did you get, Winnie?"

This perked Winnie up. She gladly replied "Lots of games and sporting equipment. Much more practical than clothes!" Winnie added, sticking out her tongue.

"True, true. If you enjoy running around naked, that is." Lauren replied. Sibella laughed so hard she gasping for breath.

"Haha. Very funny, Lauren." Winnie snapped.

"Oh, don't look so offended." Lauren told her with a smile. "Besides, you did get clothes, or are those not dresses over there with your name on them?"

Winnie rolled her eyes before saying "I needed new clothes, I'll admit, but they're still not as fun as games! The big man really knows his stuff."

"He sure does." Lauren said, cracking a grin, before turning to Tanis and asking "And what did you get, Tanis?"

Tanis's eyes widened with delight, looking up from her treasure trove of gifts. "A bunch of neat stuff! New wrapping, a replica of the pyramids, jewelry, and an inflatable sarcophagus! It even comes with a pump! It'll be great in case I ever go traveling."

"You bat it will." Sibella said with a smile.

"What about you, Elsa?" Phantasma asked her curiously.

"I racked up good this year! Look at all of this."

Lauren examined the contents. Now, Lauren was incredibly smart and very technologically savvy, but she still didn't understand half of what Elsa was showing her. "Wow. That's neat, Elsa. But what is this stuff?"

"Only the exact spare parts I've been needing all year! I don't know how Santa managed, but he got every little detail right! It's incredible!" Elsa explained delightedly.

Lauren beamed before saying "You would be surprised if you knew what he could pull off." Lauren then directed her attention towards Phantasma, who was still playing her organ. She'd moved on from 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' to 'Deck The Halls' without missing a beat. "Well, there's no need to question Phanty about her gift and whether she likes it or not." Lauren said jokingly.

"You can say that again, Lauren! This organ is off the walls!" Phantasma replied as she hit a rather echo-y note.

"That's a laugh and half." Tanis replied to the note which was still reverberating through the walls.

"Clever." Lauren told her, unsarcastically, before adding "If you girls want, after we put away our amazing gifts, we could go outside and play in the snow. After all, the cadets won't be here for another couple of hours."

"Yeah, let's go!" Winnie said eagerly. The other ghouls agreed. Lauren teleported her own belongings up to her room and was putting them away when she noticed a pile of presents under her tree. They were from her friends, both human and ex-villain, as well as her father. With the ones from her father came a note that read

 _'I didn't want to disturb your sleep so I left you this note. I won't be able to stop by today to wish you a Merry Christmas. I'd tell you why, but you'll find out soon enough. Merry Christmas, love.'_

"Hmm." Lauren mused, wondering as to what her father was planning and why he wasn't telling her. But that would have to wait. She quickly opened her new presents to reveal more clothes, jewelry, shoes, and lotion, as well as a gift card to Starbucks which was greatly appreciated. From her father, she'd gotten several magical items, but none was more touching than the photo album. It was like those from Harry Potter where the pictures moved so Lauren was able to not only see her and her friends, but hear them and really see them move around. It was so sweet it made a few tears roll down her cheeks. Lauren put those presents away, too, grabbed a pair of black rain boots that wouldn't be bothered by the snow, and teleported into the foyer, planning an epic snowball fight that would make Jack Frost proud. Once all of the resident ghouls had gathered down stairs, Lauren led them outside before asking "What do you five say to having a snowball fight while we wait for the cadets to show up? We've got a couple of hours before their arrival, after all, and it would be a shame to let all of this snow just sit here."

Lauren awaited the chorus of 'Yes.' from the ghouls but was instead asked "What's a snowball fight?" by Tanis.

Lauren gaped at them in shock before explaining. "A snowball fight is when two or more people make snowballs," Lauren stopped for a second to demonstrate how to make a snowball before holding it up for the ghouls to see. She then continued. "And throwing them at each other." She then tossed the ball towards Phantasma. The snowball easily went through her body but the point had been made. "Aw, no fair, Phanty! The ball's not allowed to go through you. Where's the fun in that?"

"Sorry, Lauren!" Phantasma replied with a laugh, indicating that she wasn't actually very sorry.

"I'm sure." Lauren replied before saying "Okay, spread out and begin making snowballs. In a minute, we'll begin the fight!" and with that, the ghouls dispersed to different areas of the field and began making snowballs. They were still near enough to be hit, but not nearly as close as they had been when Lauren was describing the game. Lauren set a timer on her phone before making snow balls as fast as she could. When the timer went off, Lauren filled her arms with snow balls and began attacking the ghouls. But they had also made several dozen snowballs and were just as prepared as Lauren. And then the war began. Lauren flew her snowballs rapidly, aiming for no ghoul in particular, she just wanted to hit someone with a snowball before the fight ended. She managed to hit Elsa in the gut, Sibella in the head, and nearly knocked the bow off of Tanis. Winnie was moving a little too quickly to be an easy target, but Lauren predicted which way she was going to turn, threw a snowball, and nailed her so hard that the poor ghoul crashed into the snow in a heap. But no one was feeling very sympathetic so instead of helping her up they simply bombarded her with even more snowballs. And Phantasma was being a good sport. Every time a snowball came in contact with with her, it struck her instead of sailing on through her body. Lauren half expected the snowball she'd thrown to go straight through her chest but instead it hit with a dull splat before sliding off.

Lauren was looking for a new target when she saw Sibella turn into a bat in order to dodge the snowball Phantasma had thrown at her. "Aw no fair, Sibella! If I can't let them phase through me, you can't change into a bat!" Sibella simply snickered down at her. Lauren, all for taking advantage of a distracted opponent, made a snowball, leaned back, aimed, and threw it as hard as possible. The ball hit bat Sibella right in the head and knocked her all the way to the ground. When she came to, she shook the snow off of her fur before turning back into her human-type form. Shaking the remaining bit of snow out of her hair, Sibella then bent down, scooped up some snow, compacted it into a ball, and was about to throw it when she stopped and smirked. What puzzled Lauren was that Sibella was smirking in her direction. She was in the process of turning around when a giant snowball the size of a tv was tossed onto her. Lauren wrapped her arms around her face as the snow hit. When it was done, she heard Elsa laughing so hard she was gasping, the other ghouls soon joining in. Lauren laughed along with them as she kicked herself out of the pile of snow. Once she was out she continued to laugh but not so much like the other five. Using their laughter as a distraction, Lauren waved her hand over the giant pile of snow that she had just escaped from. Now, she was no Jack Frost and couldn't create a blizzard, but she could easily make snowballs without touching a single flake. And she had never made any rule about not using powers during the fight that made it easier to make snowballs. In a single second, Lauren had created over a hundred snowballs. Lifting her hand, the snowballs slowly began to rise into the air. The ghouls laughter had died down by this point and they all looked up to see the massive amount of snowballs hovering above them. Suddenly Lauren stretched out her fingers and in that instant the snowballs cascaded down upon each ghoul, burying them in piles of snow. It was a second before their heads popped out one by one and shook in order to send the snow that had accumulated in their hair flying. It was Lauren's turn to laugh. She laughed so hard she doubled up and gasped for breath. Tears rolled down her face, which was so warm that they didn't freeze. By the time she'd straightened up and wiped the tears from her face, the others had successfully managed to dig their way out of their snow cocoons and were shaking their clothes out to knock the snow out. All except from Phantasma who had made herself intangible again in order for the snow to simply fall off.

Lauren checked her phone and was shocked. They'd been out there for over two hours. Shaking off the disbelief and recovering her watch with her sweater sleeve, Lauren addressed the ghouls. "What say we go inside, warm up a bit, and get something to eat before the cadets show up in an hour?" This was met with head nodding. Lauren led the way inside. She cooed when she saw Matches sleeping by the fire before going up to her room to change shoes. Rain boots were all well and good when playing in the snow, but weren't the best choice of footwear when throwing a Christmas party. She exchanged them for a pair of black boots that were lined with white fur. Once her boots had been successfully replaced, Lauren picked up the gifts for the cadets and the ghouls before walking back down the stairs. She set them at the base of their giant tree and joined the ghouls by the fire, gladly joining in the regaling of the epic snowball fight they had just engaged in. Lauren crossed her legs as she listened to Winnie who was reenacting one of her more spectacular dodges. Beaming at them, Lauren looked down when she felt a weight upon her lap. It was Matches, who had crawled on top of her legs, curled up, and fell asleep. Her smile widening at the sight of the little dragon, Lauren placed her hand on top of his head and began stroking his back rhythmically.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: Their First Christmas**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

After a while there was a knock on the door. Matches, not being one who enjoyed the company of the cadets, crawled out of Lauren's lap, stretched, and promptly walked away to wherever he went during the day when he couldn't be found. After watching him go, Lauren stood up, stretched herself, and went to get the door. As she opened it, a thought came to her mind. The mistletoe North had hung all over the ceiling was still there. Not wanting any of the cadets or the Colonel to get the wrong impression, Lauren twitched a few fingers behind her back in order to turn it into holly. Once done moving her fingers, Lauren smiled and warmly exclaimed "Colonel Calloway! Thank you so much for coming by to celebrate Christmas with us! I know I speak for everyone here when I say what a pleasure it is to host both you and the cadets. Why don't you come inside?" Lauren stood to the side to allow them to file in. Once everyone had entered the foyer, Lauren shut the door behind them before directing the boys to the fire. "Please feel free to warm yourself up a bit and help yourself to refreshments. We just made a fresh batch of hot chocolate with a toppings buffet to the right of the vat so feel free to self serve." Lauren thought for a moment, wondering if she had left anything out. Deciding she hadn't, she reconvened over to where the ghouls had gathered, they were no longer by the fire seeing as that's where the cadets had congregated, but rather near the tree, and asked them "So what should we do now?"

The ghouls exchanged looks before saying "You're the Christmas expert. If anyone should be asking questions it's us." Winnie replied.

"Right." Lauren answered smartly before saying "All right, then. As your Christmas expert, I say we start the meal up. It's nearly six thirty, after all. You all get seated while I fetch Miss Grimwood." Lauren then turned towards the cadets and said "Dinner will begin shortly. Please seat yourselves while I fetch Miss Grimwood." and with that, Lauren disappeared into the kitchen. Inside, she found Miss Grimwood was handing plates to Handy and Lefty before grabbing a few dishes herself.

When she saw Lauren, her eyes lit up with joy. "Ah, Lauren, your arrival couldn't have been better. Could you give us a hand, or two, and grab the last few dishes?"

"Sure, Miss Grimwood." Lauren replied, happily picking up the last two dishes. Once the dishes had been nicely spread onto the table, the feast began. There was plenty of food. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, green beans, boiled carrots sprinkled with cinnamon, sweet potatoes covered with baked marshmallows, cranberry poached pears, broccoli covered in melted cheese, and parmesan asparagus. The seating arrangement was the same as it had been on Thanksgiving. Ghouls on half the table, cadets on the other, Miss Grimwood and the Colonel each at a head. But unlike Thanksgiving, there were some decent conversations going on. Lauren smiled at the sound, glad that some progress was being made. It lasted about an hour before the conversations began to slowly die off and after some suggestive hints from both ghouls and cadets, they had all gathered around the fireplace with mugs of hot chocolate in hand. The cookies, fudge, brownies, and other sweets Lauren had persuaded the ghouls to help her make were being handed out to everyone. The dessert was eaten in relative silence, the exception being the crackling of the fire. Lauren leaned her head against Tug's shoulder as the two smiled at each other. With a glance at the ceiling, a small piece of mistletoe formed directly above them. Tug caught her gaze and looked up. His eyes caught sight of the mistletoe. With a grin, he looked down at Lauren and gently pressed his lips against hers. Lauren smiled, gladly returning the kiss, melting into his embrace. After a moment, the two pulled apart, and smiled at each other. It was their first Christmas together and if the two of them had anything to say about it, it wouldn't be their last.

It was a little before ten o'clock when the Colonel rounded up all the cadets and marched them back to school, leaving Lauren, the ghouls, and Miss Grimwood to cleanup duty. Or rather Lauren, since she'd found a spell that would do all the cleaning for them. "This room is messy, cluttered, yuck!, so do your job and clean it up." And just like magic, which it was, the dishes washed, dried, and put themselves away, a broom and dustpan came to life and swept under and around the table, and any wrapping paper that was still lying on the floor was quickly discarded, leaving the kitchen and foyer spotless. All of that was done in a matter of seconds. When she was done, Lauren teleported into her room, grabbed the presents she'd gotten for the Guardians, and teleported to the Pole.

When she arrived at the Pole, Lauren's breath left her body. The room was indescribably beautiful, and even that was an understatement. There was a tree the size of a building in the center and was aesthetically balanced in ornate decorations. On top was what almost looked like a real star, it was so bright. It caught the light and threw it all over the room. Not to mention that every five minutes it shot what resembled miniature fireworks into the air. And as if that wasn't over the top enough, there was snow, real snow, leisurely floating around the room, yet there was also a roaring fire the size of a car in the fireplace.

"Ah, Lauren! Is so good to see you!" North called from the base of a tree. Lauren turned around to look at him, her jaw still unhinged in awe. North chuckled deeply as

Bunny rolled his eyes.

Sandy waved happily at her with a grin on his face as Tooth leapt up into the air and flew over to Lauren before pulling her fellow female Guardian into a tight embrace. "Oh, it's so good to see you again! Merry Christmas!"

Lauren returned the embrace before replying "It's good to see you, too, Tooth!" She then addressed the rest of the Guardians as she asked "I'm not late, am I? I came as soon as possible."

North waved his hand before saying "No, of course not. We were just about to begin." Lauren and Tooth walked over to the rest of the Guardians. Tooth took her original seat and Lauren sat in between her and Jack.

As she took her seat, Jack flipped his bangs out of his eyes and said "Merry Christmas, Lauren. Glad you decided to come."

"Like I would've missed it. Just look at this room!" Lauren replied, denoting the grandeur of the room.

"Yeah, it is pretty great." Jack airily replied.

"That's it? That's all you have to say about it?" Lauren asked him, puzzled as to how he was not gawking at the room like she was.

Jack shrugged before saying "You get used to it after about twenty years go by. And I've had the pleasure of reminiscing about Christmas with North for the past three hundred."

Lauren nodded smartly before saying "Right. I forgot that you were immortal." The two of them laughed for a moment before North began the present exchange. By the end of it, Lauren had received a bunch of cool magical objects. And Jack had been right. North did give them an exasperatedly long winded account of his trip around the earth. Much to Lauren's dismay, it had been two hours and North still wasn't done talking. _'Ugh! End already!'_ Lauren thought to herself.

 _'Seriously! But he does this every year and you've got much more patience that I do so you'll get used to it.'_ Jack replied.

Suddenly, Lauren and Jack froze. _'Are we talking?'_ Jack began when Lauren finished _'In our minds?'_

 _'This is so weird!'_ the two of them said simultaneously. _'But very convenient. If North doesn't quit talking soon, I'm going to die of boredom.'_ Lauren complained.

 _'How do you think I feel? I've been listening to this for the past three centuries and this is the only time I've ever had something to distract me from it.'_ Jack replied.

Lauren laughed inwardly before saying _'You poor thing. But how do you think this works anyway?'_

 _'I've no idea. I'm assuming it's coming from you since I've never done anything like this before and I'm over four hundred years old.'_ Jack speculated.

Lauren pondered on that for a moment before replying _'You're probably right. According to North, I have 'Lots of untapped potential', and with the parents I have, no one really knows what I can do. I guess I can telepathically communicate with other living beings.'_

 _'Well I'm glad for it.'_ Jack earnestly told her. _'I need someone to distract from North's regaling of his trip. I love the guy, but the talking gets old real fast.'_

 _'Yeah, I can see what you were talking about earlier.'_ Lauren replied, ready to rip her ears off. She loved North. Ever since her becoming a Guardian, he had been open to all of her questions, a constant companion when she needed one, and helped her save her friends from the evil clutches of Grim. But that didn't mean she wanted to hear him regale his global travels for four straight hours.

 _'It's hard to miss it._ ' Jack replied. The two laughed for a good bit before continuing to talk, all the while keeping a straight face and outwardly appearing as though they were paying attention.

North had finally finished talking and had allowed the rest of the Guardians to leave at three in the morning. Lauren gladly teleported directly into her room, quickly dove out of her clothes and into her pajamas, and practically dove into her bed. She eagerly welcomed sleep, having hardly gotten some the night before, not to mention that she'd been up since six that morning. If she had anything to say about it, she wouldn't be getting up for a long, long time.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: A Much Needed Shopping Trip**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

However, Lauren's plans for sleeping in late were ruined when a familiar visitor appeared by her bedside. Awakening at his presence, Lauren sat up and smiled. "Hello, father. What brings you by?"

"I have some very exciting news I thought you'd like to hear about." Pitch said, clasping his hands.

"What is it?" Lauren asked excitedly, sitting up.

"You know every year I throw a gathering for monsters everywhere in Transylvania. Not the country, but a county. This year, I'm hosting the gathering in Transylvania county, Louisiana." Pitch informed, a smile blossoming on his lips.

"That's within driving distance?" Lauren asked, already calculating the distance in her mind.

"Exactly. I've always planned it in the same state you were in." Pitch stated, obviously disliking the distance that had been placed between him and his daughter.

"So what is this gathering for the monsters and how come this is the first one I've ever heard about?" Lauren asked, holding the pillow in her lap.

"It's where all of the monsters in the entire world come together to establish laws, go over any orders of business, see what needs to be done, it's like what humans do, just more efficient and everyone's voices are actually heard. And I'm just now inviting you to this because if you're old enough to fight and be a Guardian, you're old enough to attend a formal gala." Pitch told her with a small smile, mourning the fact that his daughter was growing older and older and there was nothing he could do about it.

Lauren clapped her hands together excitedly before saying "A gala? Oh, how exciting! The other ghouls will be going as well, right?"

Pitch smiled, saying "Of course they can. I've cleared it with each of their parent's."

Lauren's smiled widened before she asked "Perfect! When is it?"

"It starts this Saturday and usually lasts a week. I've already worked out the details for Miss Grimwood and she's fine with you lot going. I assume you'll be there by teleportation?" informed Pitch.

"You read my mind." Lauren replied, grinning extraordinarily.

"I'll see you there, then." Pitch replied, kissing her on the forehead.

"Of course. Goodbye, father." Lauren replied with an early morning yawn.

"Goodbye, Lauren." Pitch said as he stepped into a shadow, in which he instantly vanished.

Lauren leapt out of bed as soon as he disappeared. She had so many preparations to make. It was already Wednesday, leaving her just three days to prepare and pack. She quickly pulled out a suitcase from under her bed, unzipped it in one fluid motion, and pushed the top back. Ducking into her closet, Lauren rifled through her dresses, wanting only the most gorgeous and elegant. After all, she was the princess of the monster world and therefore had to set a perfect example for everyone else. Suddenly a thought hit her. 'Would the ghouls have acceptable clothing to wear? I could take them shopping!' Quickly taking stock of her clothing, Lauren figured two of them would work. One was black with a slightly plunging neckline and tight fitting sleeves. The other was light blue with strappy sleeves and stopped at her knees. She'd need at least three more. A shopping trip was most definitely in order.

"Ghouls, ghouls, ghouls, have you heard the news?" Lauren asked, storming down stairs into the foyer where, coincidentally, all the ghouls were gathered. "We're going to an international gathering for monsters all over the world this Saturday!" That got the ghouls jumping out of their seats and running over to Lauren excitedly.

"We've never been before but our parents always talk excitedly about it! How'd you get Miss Grimwood to let us go?" Sibella asked her excitedly.

"Actually my father took care of it by letting me go. So I told him I'd only go if I could take you five and he said yes!" This was met with even more squeals of delight before Lauren added "And it's a very formal gala, I may add, which means it will require the utmost sophistication from all of us. And seeing as we'll be there for about a week, and I really only two dresses that are gala appropriate, not to mention that I need some shoes, I suggest we go shopping. I'll pay, of course, that is if you all want to accompany me." No one turned down her offer, in fact, even Winnie seemed eager to go. This would also be their first time attending the gala as well, as their fathers had also considered them to be too young to attend, just as Lauren's had. It was all very exciting. Lauren clapped her hands together before saying "Right then! Let's get going." Holding her hands out, Lauren prepared to teleport when she looked down at herself. She was still in her pajamas, barefoot, and a mess in general. "Er, actually, hold that thought." She quickly teleported into her room, threw on a pair of jeans, a dark blue shirt, her new white vest, and a pair of LL Bean boots, courtesy of North. She grabbed her purse, pulled it on, and walked back down the stairs, magically straightening her hair as she went.

Once downstairs, Lauren held out her hands and teleported the ghouls to a mall. They quickly let go of each other's hands and looked to Lauren, who was slowly spinning in a circle. They gave her strange looks, which she ignored, before saying "Dresses are that way. Follow me." and she began walking, the ghouls falling in line behind her. It took a moment, but the six of them finally reached the dresses. Lauren was immediately drawn to a dark blue, sleeveless dress that was fitted until it reached the waist line, where it turned loose and was covered in ruffles that extend to her ankles. Snatching the dress from the rack, Lauren held it up to her waist. It looked like it would fit, but she'd need to try it on just to be sure. Satisfied, Lauren said "This is an example of what I was talking about dress wise.' She denoted to the dress for clarification before continuing.

"Pick out around five dresses you like and meet me by the changing room in, oh, thirty minutes or so." Lauren waited until the other ghouls had begun looking at dresses before she continued her hunt. By the end of the thirty minutes, not only did she have the dark blue, ruffly dress, but two others. One was a red, long sleeve dress with a slightly plunging neckline that extended to her ankles when she held it up to her frame. The other was a dark purple, fitted dress that extended to her knees when she held it up to her body. Deciding that those three, plus the two at the school were enough, Lauren made her way over to the dressing room. A few minutes later, all of the ghouls were there. "Okay, everyone go in a room, lock the door, and try on your dresses. If you need help or an opinion, just holler and I'll come check on you." The girls went their six separate ways, locking their doors, and stripping away their clothes. Luckily for Lauren, the three dresses she'd chosen all fit her perfectly. The other ghouls had had similar luck. Once she was dressed, Lauren draped the dresses over her arm and led the ghouls over to the shoes. Wandering around the tables and racks, Lauren found three pairs of shoes that screamed 'Buy me or you'll regret it!' so she tried them on and decided they'd been right. The first was a black pair of high heels, the second a silver pair of high heeled sandals, and the last was a black pair of high heeled sandals. She'd had to ask a clerk if they had her size in the silver sandals anywhere in the back, and they did. Lauren walked back over to the rest of the ghouls, three dresses and boxes in her arms. "Are you lot ready to check out or are any of you still browsing?"

"No, we're finished." Sibella told her with a grin.

"Yeah, we just wrapped up." Tanis added, pun intended.

"That's a laugh and a half." Lauren snorted before replying "Well, if you're ready, let's go pay for all of this." When Lauren and the ghouls laid their clothing and shoes in front of the cashier, she looked at them doubtfully with a raised eyebrow. Lauren simply said "If you could divide the clothes and shoes into twelves bags, that'd be greatly appreciated." The woman shrugged before ringing up all of the clothes and shoes. When she had finished, she watched Lauren's expression carefully as the girl checked the price. If she was expecting an 'Er, never mind. That's a bit out of my budget.' she was extremely disappointed. Instead, Lauren reached into her purse and pulled out her debit card. She swiped, signed, smiled, took two bags, and waited for the ghouls to imitate her. They walked around the store for a moment before Lauren had them duck into the dressing room. They gathered hands as best they could with the bags and all and Lauren teleported them back to school.

Once back at the school, Lauren cut the tags off of her dresses, folded them, and gently laid them in her suitcase. She then took her three pairs of shoes out of their boxes before laying them beside the dresses. Just incase there was any lax time, Lauren tossed in a sweater, leggings, boot socks, and a pair of boots. She zipped up the suitcase before packing a duffel bag with toiletries, including a set of pajamas, a sweatshirt, fuzzy socks, her makeup bag, some perfume bottles, statement necklaces, earrings, and her spell book. Beaming at her freshly packed luggage, Lauren didn't think Saturday would come soon enough.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: The Kiddie Table**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

* * *

The day for departure had arrived. Lauren dressed in modest clothing; a plaid shirt, jeans, and combat boots. She lugged her suitcase and duffel bag into the hallway in order to teleport the girls to the mansion in which the gathering was taking place. They each strapped their bags in the crooks of their elbows and clasped hands. Lauren shut her eyes, spun, and in an instant they were teleported to a humongous, beautiful, mansion that looked as though it had been there for a few centuries, yet also looked like it had been built yesterday. It was six stories tall, the outside was decorated in columns and an expansive deck. Weeping willows heavily draped in Spanish moss covered the property which added to the beauty and age of the place. Ivy creeped up the walls of the deck yet avoided touching the stairs which the ghouls were ascending. They pushed open the door and found themselves in a foyer that put Grimwood's to shame. Heck, it probably put the White House to shame.

The ghouls looked around, stunned, when suddenly a voice called out "Lauren! I thought I heard you come in!" Pitch called, descending a set of stairs.

"Father!" Lauren called in reply, discarding her bags before running to hug him.

Pitch returned the hug before saying "You couldn't have arrived at a better time, honestly. You're room has just been set up. I figured you lot would want to stay together so I arranged a penthouse suite with six beds, two baths, and three vanities. You also have a balcony."

"Thanks, father." Lauren replied before turning to the ghouls and saying "C'mon. Let's go find our room." They walked up several flights of stairs before arriving at the sixth floor. They made their way down the hall, before stopping at a room that had the door wide open. Lauren stuck her head inside and saw a room that looked exactly as Pitch had described it. Against a wall rested three beds, opposite of them, another three. Vanities rested beside the beds, two doors beside them that must have led to restrooms. And opposite of the ghouls was a giant glass door that led out to a balcony that sported a stunning view of the grounds. The ghouls claimed beds, pushed their suit cases under them and looked at each other, smiling crazily. For them, this wasn't just their first time at the gathering, but their first time away from Grimwood's and their homes for more than just a few hours. It was thrilling. Lauren pushed open the doors to the balcony and leaned against the guard railing, gazing out at the beautiful view. And beautiful it was. The horizon was a line of rounded mountains, the purple sky meeting the black outline of the mountains. The acres of land was covered in swamp marshes and cypress trees. Birds flew across the landscape until they disappeared from sight, the water bubbled as fish, and possibly alligators, swam near the surface, and the brush was occasionally disturbed as a forest creature ran by. Lauren sighed contentedly, resting her elbows against the polished surface of the balcony rail. She was looking forward to the gala that evening with every passing second.

When the sun began to set, the ghouls began dressing for the evening. Lauren selected her red dress and her pair of black high heels. The vanity was occupied at the moment so she set to magically curling her hair rather nonchalantly. When she was done, she opened up her duffel bag and fished out her makeup bag and her earring case. She pulled out a pair of diamond studs before grabbing her golden eyeshadow, rose blush, and a red lipstick tube and heading towards one of the vanities. Sibella was sitting in front of it, brushing her hair when Lauren approached. Because of this, Lauren levitated herself a few feet into the air so that she could see her reflection clearly without asking Sibella to move. As she began applying eye shadow, she saw Sibella smile without ceasing her brush strokes. Lauren smiled back as she moved on to the blush.

It was another ten minutes before all of the girls were primed and ready to go downstairs. They descended the stairs together before entering the ballroom, which had been extravagantly decorated for the gathering. A crystal chandelier hung in the center and was so big and bright it practically lit the whole room on its own accord. There were dozens of circular tables covered in spotless white tablecloths, dinner plates, glasses, and floral center pieces. People had already begun seating themselves.

Lauren scanned the room and spotted her father. She pointed him out to the ghouls before they set off in his direction. Lauren approached him first, but saw he was talking to Dracula. She stopped in her tracks for a second before continuing the approach. Pitch heard the clacking of heels nearing him and looked away from Dracula for a moment. When he saw who it was, he smiled for a second before saying "Excuse me for a moment, Count." He stood up, rounded the table, and stood a foot in front of Lauren who was smiling. "I was wondering when you ghouls would be coming down." Pitch said, steering Lauren away from the table.

Confused as to why they were moving away from their supposed table, Lauren questioned "Um, father, what are you doing? Won't the girls and I be joining you for dinner?"

Pitch looked away from her as he replied "I'm afraid not."

"Why ever not?" Lauren asked him heatedly, trying to regain his gaze.

"There's just not enough room, sweetie, not with all of the important guests that will be," Pitch began in an attempt to get Lauren to quit looking at him as though she wanted to set him on fire.

"Who could possibly be more important than your own daughter?" Lauren interrupted, not believing what she was hearing. "The only person here that could possibly have a higher status than me is you!"

"Yes I know, but still. There wasn't enough room. But I did arrange a spot for you and your little friends about nine tables over. Your names will be on it so you can't miss it." Pitch said in a sugary tone, clasping his hands together.

Lauren glared at him for a long moment before saying "You know I could easily wreck this in a matter of seconds, don't you?"

Pitch's smile vanished. His face hardened as he replied "I know you could, but you wouldn't dare."

"Try me," Lauren said as her jaw clenched, nonchalantly increasing the flame of the candles on the table nearest them.

Pitch rubbed his temples before saying "Look, the seating arrangements have already been made. To change them now would cause an uproar and international monster relationships would be set back hundreds of years. Please, just go find your table."

Lauren held his gaze for what felt like an eternity before replying with a simple "Fine." She turned on her heel and walked away without waiting for her father to reply. Stalking over to the ghouls, she was still glowering.

"What happened?" Winnie asked upon seeing the look on Lauren's face.

"Turns out we're not sitting with our parents like I thought. Instead, we're sitting with complete strangers at the kiddie table." Lauren bitterly replied.

"Why?" Tanis asked sadly.

"Politics." Lauren replied before asking "Shall we go find our table and meet our table mates?"

"Might as well." Phantasma said, feeling so glum her feet were barely off the ground.

They made their way over to the table, taking their respective seats. Lauren had Sibella on her left, an empty seat that belonged to a stranger on her right. As of now the ghouls were the only ones at their table of twelve. Six more people should be arriving at any moment. As they waited for their table mates, the ghouls talked slightly disinterestedly amongst themselves.

Lauren was pulled from her conversation with Winnie by the sound of a chair noisily scraping against the floor. She turned to see a boy who was slightly older than her sit down. He had lanky, aqua colored hair and the brightest green eyes. He was sporting a collared white shirt with a grey vest on top, a pair of black jeans, and a pair of black Converses. He caught the ghouls staring and smiled. It was slightly crooked and highly attractive. "Hi. I believe this is the right table." In one swift movement he picked the card up from the seat he'd selected, read it, smiled even wider, and set it back down, saying "Yep. This is the spot." Sitting back down, the boy scooted his chair closer to the edge of the table, then realized all of the ghouls were still staring at him. "I'm Camille Leon, by the way, but most people just call me Leon."

The ghouls all nodded. They clearly hadn't met many boys who weren't cadets in the past. Rolling her eyes, Lauren stuck out her hand and said "I'm Lauren Black. It's nice to meet you." Leon smiled as he shook her hand. Flicking a hair behind her ear, Lauren turned to the other ghouls, waiting for them to introduce themselves.

Funnily enough, Tanis went first. "I'm Tanis." Once she'd spoken, the other ghouls soon did as well.

"And I'm Phantasma!"

"Elsa Frankenstein."

"Hi, I'm Winnie."

"And I'm Sibella. Fangtastic to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you ladies." Leon replied.

Lauren slightly tilted her head to the side. This boy had an accent. "You're accent." she began bluntly. "You wouldn't happen to be from France, would you?"

Leon smiled brightly before replying "I am, actually. Paris, to be exact. How could you tell?"

"Oh, I've been all over the world. And you must be so lucky to be from Paris. The city is beautiful, especially at night." Lauren airily replied, as though having been all over the world was a casual hobby rather than a tremendous privilege that ensued massive bragging rights.

"Maybe we could take a stroll around the city some day. We could visit the Eiffel Tower and I know the most perfect bakery where we could get some croissants." Leon suggested, smiling at her.

"Yeah, that sounds nice. I'd love to do that." The two smiled at each other when there was more scraping, this chair was the one to the right of Leon.

The scraper was every bit of 'bad boy' as Leon was 'classy'. His hair was made of green snakes that were shaped in the fashion of a mohawk, he sported a pair of red sunglasses, a red muscle shirt with an open grey vest, black skinny jeans, and checkered sneakers. He thumped into his seat and said "Hey. I'm Eno. Eno Gorgon. It's nice to meet you guys." Surprisingly, he had a very pleasant voice. The ghouls introduced themselves, Leon doing so a little icily. Eno nodded, smiled a little bit, and said "Does anyone know how long it'll be before the gathering starts?"

"Should be any minute now." Leon cut in shortly.

"Thanks, man." Eno replied good naturedly.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses? It's pretty dark in here, after all." Elsa asked.

"I think it's in everybody's best interests for me to keep them on. Unless you're a fan of turning into stone." He replied rigidly.

"Well that certainly explains the last name." Lauren added jovially. Eno and Leon both laughed as two more monsters joined the table.

One of them had hair that appeared to made out of fins and was sporting a black muscle shirt with fish bones on it, khaki skinny jeans, and black sandals. The other was a ghoul whose hair was a mass of unruly blonde curls. She had on a blue dress, black jacket, and black high heels. The ghoul spoke first. "Hiya. I'm Marina Blu."

"And I'm Reef Swimmington." The other added.

The ghouls, Leon, and Eno all introduced themselves. "It's great to meet all of ya." Marina replied.

"Australia?" Lauren asked her.

Nodding, Marina explained "Usually around the Great Barrier Reef or moving with the EAC."

Shuddering at the thought of saltwater, Reef added "Whereas I usually stick to freshwater."

"Aw yes! I knew I'd find the table eventually. Hey guys! What's up?" asked a guy as he hopped into his seat. He had red, spiky hair and was wearing a black tux with flaming arms, an orange tie, black pants, and flaming shoes. "The gathering is going to be flaming hot this year! I'm Blaze Ignis, by the way." He added his name as an afterthought. Everyone else introduced themselves as the last chair began to move.

A boy with long black hair slightly covered by a blue beanie sat down. He had on a black sweatshirt, skinny jeans, and a pair of Converses. "My name's Billy Fenton but you guys can just call me Billy. And no need to introduce yourselves again, I heard it all on my way over, and you're probably sick of doing it so I'll save you the trouble. It's great to meet you guys, by the way." Everyone laughed before showering him with 'It's great meeting you, too!'s.

Once every introduction had been given, the table divided into smaller conversations, the ghouls talking to the new guests. They soon forgot about how they couldn't sit with their parents because they were having so much fun talking to the newbies. It was refreshing because Sibella, Tanis, Phantasma, Elsa, and Winnie hadn't really talked to anyone outside of their family, Grimwood, and the cadets. Lauren beamed at them.

Suddenly, there was a high pitched ringing sound of a spoon being tapped against a champagne glass. All eyes fell on Pitch, easily recognizable because he was the only one standing up, and the talking stopped almost all at once. "Thank you all for coming here today to join me in our eight hundred and forty seventh annual gathering of the monsters!" he paused, allowing for the applause to die down. "Now, for those of you who are here for the first time, we always spend the first night discussing any new laws or changes to the current ones before we indulge in eating, mingling, and dancing. So if anyone would like to make a suggestion or a change, please come forward." All in all, it was very short. It lasted a little over thirty minutes, and in that time there were only six suggestions for new laws and nine propositions to have certain laws tweaked. When it was finished, food was served and drinks were poured. For the adults, champagne, those below who were below the age of twenty one were given cream soda. At every table were dozens of dishes. Some were recognizable, others were not. They were there, presumably, for the foreign guests. Everyone dived in, enjoying the food with obvious content.

Leon turned to Lauren, took a sip of cream soda, and asked "So who're your monster parents?"

Lauren scanned the room before pointing over at Pitch and saying "That's my father, Pitch Black."

Leon's eye widened as he said "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're father's Pitch Black, the Pitch Black? As in king of the monster world Pitch Black?"

"Yes. And my mother's Mother Nature, but you won't find her here." Lauren replied, her voice breaking slightly at the last line.

"Why's that?" Leon innocently inquired.

"Because she's dead." Lauren began matter-of-factly. "She died several years ago when she was murdered."

Leon's face fell, upset that he had brought up such a touchy subject. "Oh, Lauren, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's all right. I've dealt with the man who murdered her anyway so you could call it water under the bridge." Lauren replied, smirking inwardly knowing just how she had dealt with her mother's murderer.

"If you don't mind my asking, who murdered her?" Leon asked, knowing he was treading on a delicate subject matter.

"The Grim Reaper." Lauren replied, unfazed.

Leon produced a sympathetic smile as Lauren asked "And who are your monster parents?" She was more than ready to change the subject.

"My dad left when I was young but my mom's here somewhere. She's a shape-shifter, just like me." Leon replied, his jaw clenching at the mention of his dad but softening just as quickly at the mention of his mom.

"So is your hair naturally that color then?" Lauren asked, denoting to Leon's aqua mop.

Cracking a crooked grin, he replied "Oh, we're not sure. That's the color it was when I popped out so that's the color I usually go with. The same is true for my eyes."

"That's amazing! I can change my appearance as well." Lauren told him, turning her hair aqua and straightening it. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in her glass, Lauren quickly realized that her newly colored hair did not match her dress so she quickly changed it back to blonde and re-curled it.

Leon gasped before saying "I never knew anyone else could do what I did."

"Really?" Lauren asked as her hair finished turning her hair blonde and curly again.

"Really," Leon sincerely said. "I think it's amazing that you can do that."

Blushing, Lauren replied modestly "Well, it probably pales in comparison to what you can do. I can change my appearance, and turn into plants and animals, but that's about it."

"I can do that, too, and I can also turn into exact copies of other people." Leon replied, finding the ghoul in front of him more and more impressive by the second.

The two were silent for a moment as they both sipped from their glasses. Turning back to Leon, Lauren asked "So is there a school for monsters in Paris or does your mother teach you everything you know?"

"My mom," Leon supplied, "There's probably a Parisian monster school but I wouldn't know much about it. What about you?"

"Me and the other ghouls who were seated when you joined us go to a school a few counties over called Miss Grimwood's Finishing Academy for Ghouls. It's absolutely beautiful there." Lauren described the school to him, partially wishing she was back. Given her father's position towards humans, Lauren had been to various schools and none had attracted her affections more than Miss Grimwood's school.

"Who are the teachers, since you're obviously not home schooled?" Leon asked, soaking up her every word.

"Our main teacher is Miss Grimwood. She teaches us everything we could possibly need to know, except for P.E., which is what I teach." Lauren told him without pause, doing little to embellish the fact that she not only was a student, but a teacher as well.

"Y-you teach a class?" Leon spluttered.

"Of course. Though it's not that hard. All I have to do is plan games and activities for an ninety minutes five times a week."

"Still that's very impressive. Not many undergraduates can say that they've taught a class, even it is just physical education." They'd polished off their meal's and weren't sure what to talk about now. Leon looked around and spotted some people dancing. He grabbed Lauren's hand and said "Come on. Let's dance."

"Wha- okay, sure." Lauren replied with a shrug. What was a dance between friends?

Leon whirled her onto the dance floor and the two began to dance. "So have you guys had any sports competitions?"

"Yeah, we've played volleyball and soccer games against a rival school." Lauren filled him in.

"There's another monster school?" Leon asked eagerly.

"Well, no, but we don't care. They're human." Lauren whispered the last part quietly.

Leon quit dancing, then, and stared at her, his eyes as wide as saucers. "What? And they know about... er, well, you know?"

"No, they're utterly oblivious, the poor guys." Lauren replied, a small smile on her lips.

"They sound like idiots." Leon said with a laugh.

To his dismay, Lauren didn't join in. "They're not idiots. They're actually pretty decent guys. Especially since one of them happens to be my boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend?" Leon asked her, his face falling slightly.

"Yes. His name is Tug Roper and he is the most incredible guy on the planet. What about you? I'm sure you must have someone." Lauren replied, trying to defuse the tension she felt building.

"No, but I do have someone in mind." Leon told her, a coy smile on his lips.

"Oh, good for you." Lauren said encouragingly as they continued dancing. They spent practically the rest of the evening talking and dancing, reminiscing about past adventures. Leon had a good laugh about the time Lauren had been turned into a frog, even though it hadn't been funny at the time. They parted ways.

Lauren regrouped with the other ghouls as they made their ascent up the staircase. "How was the evening for you guys?" Lauren asked, lifting the hem of her dress to prevent herself from tripping over it.

"It was a real howl!" Winnie replied. The other ghouls nodded.

"How was yours, Lauren?" Elsa asked.

"Better than I thought it'd go. Sorry I sorta ditched you guys but Leon is a really good dancer and I've been looking for someone to practice with." Lauren told them sheepishly.

"No problem." Tanis said.

"Yeah, you can hang out with us tomorrow." Phantasma added.

Lauren beamed before pulling them in a group hug, which took skill considering the fact that they weren't on flat land yet. Once in their room, the ghouls removed their jewelry and makeup before taking off their dresses and shoes and pulling on their pajamas. The ghouls sat on their beds and spent the rest of their time before going to bed talking.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: A Healer and a Mind Reader**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

* * *

It was the fourth evening of the gala. For this night, Lauren selected her dark blue, sleeveless dress that hugged her waist before turning loose and covered in ruffles that extend to her ankles. With it, she wore a pair of silver high heel sandals. Straightening her hair, Lauren put on silver eye shadow, blush, and a nude shade of lipstick. In no time at all the ghouls were all ready to go downstairs. They sat down at their usual table with Leon, Eno, Reef, Marina, Blaze, and Billy, and were listening to Pitch make his announcements, eagerly awaiting dinner to be served. But they weren't disappointed. In a little over half an hour they were all filling their stomachs with every kind of rotten meat, cheese, and vegetable you could imagine, and washing it down with sparkling sodas.

Sibella was reaching for an extra rotten crab apple when something fell from the sky, landed on the apple, picked it up, and threw it at her. Reflexes taking over, Sibella ducked just in time to avoid being hit. But the creature had friends, hundreds of friends, who were attacking every table and monster in sight. Lauren shut her eyes for a moment before her bow and arrows magically appeared. She strung one as a burst of bright light appeared in her peripheral vision.

Looking over she saw Blaze burst into flames. But he didn't seem to be in any pain. "Blaze, are you alright?" She asked, immensely alarmed.

"Alright? Things are only beginning to get hot! Sweet bow and arrows by the way!" Blaze replied as he began launching fireballs at the intruders.

Lauren gave him a salute when she suddenly heard sloshing noises. She saw Reef and Marina creating balls out of the surrounding liquids and pelting them at the pests.

She heard Eno shout "Nobody look at me!" Because he said this, Lauren felt a great urge to do so. He'd taken off his glasses and was turning the pests to stone.

One collided with seemingly nothing, which became Billy's head. "Hey, element of surprise ring a bell to anyone?" he asked before disappearing again.

"Is everyone around here's name a pun?" Lauren muttered to herself, stringing an arrow.

"Hey, whoa, what are you doing?" Leon asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm protecting my friends from... whatever these things are." Lauren replied, pulling back on the bow string.

"Those things aren't hurting you, are they?" Leon argued, gesturing to the flying balls of fluff with with hands.

"I'm not going to give them the chance. Just look!" Lauren told him, pointing to where one had just bit the eyeball out of a man who had currently been playing the violin. Lauren quickly pulled back the arrow and fired, taking the thing right out of the sky. She then teleported over to the monster, placed his eye back in his head, and used her healing powers to make the pain go away. Not giving him a chance to thank her, Lauren teleported back to the other ghouls and continued fighting with them.

Lauren jumped into the air, landed on the table, and shot at anything that neared it. What she missed, Sibella attacked in her bat form, Tanis snatched with her bandages, Winnie, Elsa, and Phantasma smashed, Marina and Reef drowned with amalgamated liquids, Eno turned them into stone, Blaze turned to ashes with fire, or Billy snatched out of the air and threw them at Blaze where they shortly turned to ash. Leon had disappeared. He was probably hiding somewhere. Lauren didn't pay him any mind. He'd left and that was on him.

Deciding her friends were handling the situation well enough and the ghouls were safe, Lauren jumped into the air. The monsters had begun fighting back. The pests were being frozen, melted, beaten, knocked, stomped, crushed, and a thousand other things. One flew at Lauren put she caught it in her hand and examined it. It was solid black with gaping jaws that could easily bite her entire hand off, claws, and a pair of wings. It was about the same size as a softball. It didn't resemble anything she'd ever seen before. Suddenly a black arrow shot through the creature. Startled, Lauren turned to face the person who'd shot the arrow, which was her father.

He looked extremely angry. Holding up his hand, he snapped his fingers. For a second, it seemed like nothing was going to happen when suddenly the ground shook and hundreds of Nightmares flew into the air from seemingly nowhere. They seemed to know exactly what to do and went after every single one of the little ball shaped pests. With the Nightmares in action, it was just ten minutes later when they were all lying dead, destroyed, or unrecognizably mangled. The only sounds were the heavy panting of the people who'd been fighting and the cries and moans who the injured.

Lauren went from injury to injury, healing it. As she was fixing a particularly nasty bite on a little ghoul's arm, Pitch said quietly "I want to know who's responsible for this and I want to know it now. If you don't come forward right now and I find out about it later, you will regret it. Those who know the culprit or culprits but don't come forward will be treated as equally guilty. This is the last time I'm going to ask nicely. Come forward _now_." When no one said anything, he said "Lauren, come here for a minute."

Lauren looked up from healing a zombie and flew over to Pitch. "Yes, father?" she asked, a foot from him.

Pitch closed the distance between them before whispering "If you see anyone, anyone at all, making a run for it I want you to teleport over to them and stop them by any means necessary. You may continue healing people." Pitch waved her away.

Lauren gave him a mock curtsy before flying back over to the zombie. Still, no one had stepped forward. With a little smirk on his face, Pitch snapped his fingers. Two of the Nightmares beside him parted to allow a woman to walk through. Once she'd done so, the circle was reformed. "Cassandra, thank you for accompanying me up here. For those of you who don't know, Cassandra is an extremely powerful mind reader. Not only can she read what you're currently thinking, but every thought you ever had for any certain time length. She could see every thought you've had since birth, or more conveniently, every thought you've had in the past hour. If she checks you and you're clean, you may step out of the circle of Nightmares. If she checks you and you played a part in this, well, you'll just have to wait and see. Cassandra, you may begin."

She turned to Pitch and stared, her pupils dilating in the process. After a moment she said "You're clean." Pitch stepped outside the Nightmares and began walking around, making sure there was no one outside the circle. After about twenty minutes, half of the monsters were on the outside of the circle, the others on the inside. Cassandra walked up to a teenage boy, probably the same age as Lauren. He was wearing a torn tux, his hair was disheveled, part of his bow tie was missing, and his glasses were askew on his face. He was also shaking. Cassandra smiled sympathetically and said "It won't hurt, I promise. The worst that'll happen is a slight pang of nausea, but that's extremely rare." She fixed her gaze on the boy's head. It stayed like that for a minute, then two. She stared transfixed at him for over five minutes when she whispered "He's one of them." The boy freaked then. He pushed people out of his way and ran towards the Nightmares which quickly surrounded him. The boy put his hands against his temples, his body writhing as the Nightmares closed in. Suddenly, the Nightmares flew backwards as the boy shot into the air, increasing his size by tenfold.

Lauren slowly rose from where she had been kneeling, healing a bitten finger. The angered boy looked down at the Nightmares before beginning to smash them with his fist, which was now the size of a washing machine, reducing them to sand. It was at that moment when three other monsters, two male, one female, jumped up and ran in separate directions. Lauren's face hardened as she teleported, grabbing one after the other. She placed the stunned monsters in a tightly knit circle made of Nightmares. After dusting her hands off, she teleported over to the enlarged and enraged boy, and moved in front of him. "Hey, you! You need to calm down now!" Instead he swiped at her. Lauren jumped to the side, rolled, and ended up on her feet. "Listen, it'll be alright! Just take it easy and shrink back to normal!" This time he kicked at her. Lauren simply dodged him. "It's going to get worse for you if you don't turn back to normal right now! If you do, we can work something out! If you don't, things'll get real ugly real quick! Turn back to normal! Please!" The boy stopped swinging his fists and slowly began to shrink. Lauren ran forward to catch him as he swayed. He fell into her arms and she carried him over to Pitch who immediately had him removed from his daughter's arms.

All was looking well when suddenly one of the males who'd been captured by Lauren and left with the Nightmares slashed a Nightmare with a knife and took off running. Angered by this, Lauren didn't teleport. Instead, she produced a ball of fire in her hand and threw it at the monster. However, it didn't hit him, rather it formed a ring of fire around him. The boy began screaming. Rolling her eyes, Lauren shouted "You're not going to be set on fire, but after what you did tonight, you deserve to be!" His screaming died down just a little. Pitch gave Lauren a look and she flicked her finger ever so slightly. The flames were instantly put out but the boy didn't have a chance to move because monsters were already there to grab him. Him and the other three were escorted from the ballroom.

Once they were gone, the remaining monsters looked around. They themselves were disheveled. Most had torn clothing, some were bleeding, and a few were scraped and bruised. The room itself was in shambles, and it hadn't helped when that boy turned into a giant and began smashing things. Lauren walked over to the ghouls who she'd been happy to see were unscathed. Lauren threw her arms around them, ensuing a group hug between the six of them. Suddenly, music filled the air. Lauren, Winnie, Elsa, Tanis, Phantasma, and Sibella all turned around to see the band had picked back up from where they'd left off. The friends decided to dance and were soon joined by Marina, Reef, Billy, Eno, and Leon. They spent the rest of the night dancing as friends, trying to forget what they had just been through, and instead on being together.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: Next Year's Seating Chart**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

* * *

It was the last night of the gala. Lauren was wearing a dark purple, tight fitting dress that extended to her waist with a pair of black high heels. She'd made her hair wavy for the evening. They were sitting at their table when Pitch stood up and addressed the somber mood. He cleared his throat before saying "My fellow monsters. Tonight we celebrate the last night of the gathering. But we also celebrate our victory against the rebel insurgents who attempted to sabotage our progress. Many of you came out of the fight worse for wear, but because of the contribution and sacrifice made by each and every monster in this room, we won. Now, I know that if even one of you had decided to hide instead of fight, we may not even be having this meeting right now, but there are a few people who I believe need to be acknowledged. First, I'd like to thank Cassandra. If it hadn't been for you, we would have never figured out who had been behind it." Pitch paused to let the applause die down before continuing "And I would also like to thank my daughter." Lauren froze before looking up at him. "If it hadn't been for her quick thinking, and convenient power to heal people, several of us wouldn't be here, and many more would be severely injured in various degrees and forms. Not to mention the fact that she is the main reason we were able to catch the culprits apart from Cassandra. So I'd like to propose a toast. To Cassandra and Lauren! May your names never be forgotten!" Pitch thrust his glass in the air before gulping it down, everyone else in the room doing the same. Everyone that is, except Lauren, who was blushing profusely. She hadn't expected to be acknowledged like that in front of everyone else.

Sibella patted her on the back, saying "He's right, you know. If it hadn't of been for you protecting us, we'd be missing a few fingers."

Lauren shuddered at the mere thought of her friends having their fingers bitten off before replying "Faced with the alternative of having any of you maimed or injured, I was more than glad to help. Besides, I can't be harmed."

Leon looked up curiously before asking "And what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, that I'm just so tough." Lauren replied, sending Sibella a look that said 'Don't say anything.' Sibella shrugged her suspicions off, knowing Lauren knew what she was doing.

Marina propped her arms on the table, extended her hands, and said "We all must find a way to keep in touch! It's been so nice, getting to know all of you."

"Yeah. You guys are really cool." Eno added.

"I think you mean really hot!" Blaze corrected.

"Didn't see that one coming." Billy commented before smiling good naturedly and saying "All puns aside, Marina's right. You guys are some of the best friends I've ever had. Not many people would've stayed by my side during a fight like that."

Elsa clapped Billy on the back, unintentionally causing him to let out a grunt of pain, and said "That's what friends are for. They help each other."

"I'll howl to that." Winnie said before letting one out.

Tanis rolled her eyes before saying "That's a laugh and a half."

Lauren grinned before pulling out her cell phone and saying "This is basically the community phone for me and my ghouls. If you guys want to stay in touch electronically, this is the way to do it." They all exchanged numbers and social media information before putting their electronics away. The food was being served and the drinks were being served and with all that they'd been through, several toasts were required.

In the morning, the ghouls all reluctantly dragged themselves out of bed. They would be leaving any time soon. Lauren pulled on a baggy mint sweater with lace, black leggings, and a pair of tan combat boots. She straightened her hair before teleporting the ghouls downstairs to share one last goodbye with their friends. She'd just hugged Reef and Marina when Leon grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her aside. "Hey, man, what's up?" she asked him in a friendly tone.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to go out with me? I'm leaving for Paris and I'd love nothing more than you to accompany me." He asked, his eyes earnestly looking into hers.

"Look, Leon, you're a great guy, but I already have a boyfriend and I'm not giving him up." Lauren replied patiently enough, given that she had already told Leon this.

Leon's face fell before he retorted "But he's just a human. What can he offer you that I can't?"

Lauren shook her head sympathetically before replying "It's not about what I gain. It's about me loving him, and him me."

"But I love you!" Leon angrily sputtered.

"Leon, you barely know me. We haven't even spent a week together. Tug and I have known each other for years. I'm not giving that up. I'm sorry. But I hope we can still be friends?" Lauren asked him hopefully.

Leon stayed frozen for several long seconds before smiling his crooked smile and pulling her for a hug. "Of course we can."

Lauren hugged him back. She pulled back after a second and was face to face with her father who pulled her into a hug. "Thanks again for saving the day."

"No problem." Lauren replied.

"I also wanted to apologize for not letting you and the rest of your school mates to sit with me and their parents." Pitch said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. We actually had a wonderful time at our table." Lauren truthfully told him.

Pitch was taken aback. "You did?"

"Yeah! In fact, we want it to be just like that next year! Or maybe you could sit us with every monster our age! I mean, we're super tight with the ones we were with this year and we barely spent a week with them." Lauren babbled, truly willing to sit with the other monsters her age rather than her father and his friends.

Pitch beamed down at Lauren before saying "You can help me with the seating chart for next year if you want."

"Heck yes I do!" Lauren eagerly replied.

"I suppose this is good bye for now." Pitch told her after a moment.

"I suppose it is." Lauren agreed.

Pitch smiled softly. "Goodbye, Lauren. I love you."

"Not as much as I love you, father. See you soon." Lauren kissed him on the cheek before walking over to the ghouls, gathering their hands, and teleporting them back to Miss Grimwood's.

The ghouls had unpacked and readjusted to life at Grimwood. They were currently hanging out in Lauren's room, Lauren playing with the fire she had set up earlier, enlarging and shrinking the flames as she pleased. "So did you guys have fun?" Lauren asked.

"Yes! It was awesome!" Winnie replied.

"Fangtastic!" Sibella agreed.

"I loved meeting the new people! We haven't met many other monsters before so it was wonderful." Phantasma confessed with a sigh.

"Yeah, it was a blast." Elsa added.

"I hope next year will be exactly the same as this one!" Tanis told them.

"Except maybe without the horrible attack?" Lauren asked teasingly.

Sibella nudged her in the ribs before saying "You're the reason it ended so quickly, Lauren. If you hadn't been there, a lot of people would have gotten hurt, ourselves included."

"Please." Lauren quipped, but smiled nonetheless.

Tanis stood up, held her hot chocolate mug high in the air, and cheered "To Lauren!" The other ghouls mimicked this and went "To Lauren!" as well. Lauren laughed as they all downed their drinks before she took a dreg of hers too.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39: An Unpleasant Surprise**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

* * *

Lauren and Tug were sitting on the wall between their schools when there was a scream coming from the cadet's school. "What was that?" Lauren asked in shock.

"I'm not sure. You stay here while I go check it out." Tug instructed, his face hardening at the thought of a threat.

"Not likely." Lauren replied, following him.

His fist clenching, Tug instructed "Lauren, there could be something seriously wrong at the school. I can't risk you getting hurt."

Lauren was having none of it. Nothing could hurt her, but Tug on the other hand was perceptible to a wide range of injuries. "And I can't just sit around waiting for you to be hurt! I'm going with you and nothing is going to change my mind."

Tug looked like he wanted to argue it some more but finally conceded. "Okay, just stay behind me."

"Fine with me." Lauren replied happily, jumping off the wall and after Tug.

Tug stopped them in their tracks, whirled around, and looked her in the eyes. "But seriously, be careful. We don't know what's in there."

"You got it. I'll be super careful." Lauren replied, assuaging his fears. If anyone needed to worry about someone, it would be Lauren, given that she couldn't be hurt and all. Lauren and Tug snuck into the school and went from room to room, listening to see if anyone was inside. When they arrived outside the cadet's room, Lauren and Tug heard shouting. They each pressed an ear to the door, trying to make out what was being said.

"It's not one of the guys." Tug observed after a minute.

"Who could it be?" Lauren mused. She had finally managed to decipher 'Now which one of you boys is Tug Roper?' That voice was familiar. Really familiar. Suddenly it connected. The voice belonged to Eno. Confused beyond reason, Lauren threw open the door to the room. She had been right. "Eno? What the heck are you doing here? Why aren't you home?"

Eno smiled at the sight of Lauren and swaggered over to her. When there was hardly breathing room between the two of them. "I thought I'd stop by and pay you a visit." he replied huskily. "But before we continue with this friendly reunion, I need you to tell me which one of these guys is Tug. They say he's not here, but where else could he be?"

"Why don't you turn around?" Tug shouted bravely. Eno whirled around only to be punched right across the face. He stepped back in surprise, but didn't let on that he had been injured. "I'm Tug." Tug said, unclenching his fist. "And I don't appreciate the way you were treating my guys. So what do you want with me?"

Eno cracked a grin before replying "Oh, nothing much. Just to destroy everything you love before killing you." This was met with silence when Eno reached up to touch his glasses.

" _No!_ Everyone shut your eyes!" But the cadets were too shocked by what they had just heard to do anything more then gape stupidly. Lauren ran at Eno and tackled him to the ground, pressing his hands down by his sides. "I won't let you turn them to stone! What's gotten into you, Eno? I really liked you. Why are you doing this?"

Eno cracked a smile before saying "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet."

Suddenly, it wasn't Eno she was sitting on top of but Blaze, who erupted into flames. Lauren flew off of him as he quit being on fire and turned from Blaze to Billy, who quickly turned invisible. "Leon?" she asked, surprised.

A disembodied laugh filled the room and Leon suddenly appeared. "It took you long enough to figure it out. Like that brainless moron Eno would ever try to turn these idiots into stone."

"Leon, why are you doing this? Really." Lauren asked, her head hurting as she tried to connect the dots of Leon's plan.

Leon picked up her hands and said "Lauren, I love you and I want to be with you."

"Leon, you're a great guy, but I don't have the same feelings for you. We've already been over this, and I thought you understood. I'm happy with Tug and that's not changing." Lauren told him softly. "Now, if you don't leave, I'm going to make you wish you had."

Leon stood there for a minute before sighing. "I thought you would have seen things my way. I guess I was wrong."

Suddenly Leon turned into a perfect replica of Lauren. "What do you think you're doing?" she screeched at him.

Smirking and placing a hand on his hip, Leon replied "Clearly I'm getting nowhere here, so maybe the ghouls will provide a better persuasion."

"What am I worried about? I'll get back to my school before you even leave this building." Lauren cockily remarked.

His smirk deepened. "Yeah, about that. The attack that oh so conveniently took place at the gathering was the perfect display of all of your powers, which I can't wait to try out." And with that, Leon disappeared.

Lauren fixed to go after him when he saw the cadets were still standing there in shock. She quickly put each of them in bed and said "This is just a dream. When I snap my fingers, you'll go back to sleep." Lauren quickly snapped her fingers and teleported over to the school, not bothering to check that the cadets had actually done what she'd asked them to.

Lauren landed in the foyer before taking to the air. She flew faster than she ran, not to mention she was much more silent. "Elsa! Phantasma! Tan-" Lauren stopped talking when she heard movement. Holding her breath, Lauren saw Tanis appear down the hallway. "Tanis!" Lauren cried, flying over to her. "Thank goodness I found you." Lauren scooped her up, not breaking her flight. "Do you know where the others are?"

"No. Lauren, what's going on?" Tanis asked her in a wavering voice.

"You haven't seen any of the people we met at the gathering here have you?" Lauren hurriedly asked.

"No." Tanis quickly replied.

"What about me? Apart from now, have you seen any one who looks like me?" Lauren asked, her heart pounding.

Tanis was shaking slightly. "No. Lauren, what's going on? Why is Leon here?"

Lauren froze mid flight. "Tanis, I never said anything about Leon being here."

Tanis began getting a lot heavier. Lauren let her fall to the ground as she turned into Leon. "Very clever, Lauren. I shouldn't have let that little bit slip, but still I'll give it to you."

"What are you planning on doing now?" Lauren asked him.

"Oh, well that's easy. I plan on killing all of your friends and then I'm going back to the cadets school to finish the job I started before you interrupted." Leon shut his eyes to blink and when he opened them up again, he saw the tip of an arrow pointing directly in between his eyes.

"And what makes you think I'm going to let you?" Lauren asked him menacingly, the tip of her arrow piercing Leon's shirt.

Smirking deeply, he said "Because I don't see how you'll be much of a help when you're trapped."

Lauren laughed at him before saying "You're the one who's a move away from being killed. What could you possibly do to capture me?"

"This," Leon replied simply. He knocked the bow out of Lauren's hands before tackling her to the ground.

Lauren tried to teleport a few feet away but he was touching her and would therefore be teleported with her wherever she went. "Get off of me!" she said, aiming a kick at his chest.

"I don't think so. Besides, it's too late for you." Lauren looked at him, confused, when she felt something hit her in the back of the head. As things began going black, Lauren heard Leon say "If I can't have you, no one can." He kissed her on the forehead before she fell into the inky blackness.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40: Twenty Questions**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.

* * *

"Agh. My head." Lauren groans as she sits up. Looking around, she takes note of how she is in a cell-like room. "Where am I?" she muses to herself, walking around the cell in order to get a feel for it. Suddenly it all came back to her. The ghouls were in serious danger. Anger and frustration boiled up in Lauren as she called out "Phantasma? Winnie? Elsa? Tanis? Sibella? Can any of you hear me?" There was no reply. Lauren called the names again but was only met with silence. Only one thing left to do. Lauren turned her body and pictured the outside of the cell. When she opened her eyes, she frowned. She was still inside the cell. It wouldn't let her teleport. Now there really was only one thing left to do. Leaning against a wall, Lauren ran into the opposite one from it, throwing her shoulder into it. Nothing gave way. Unphased, Lauren repeated the process several times when she noticed a small hole, big enough for her eye to see through. She pressed her eye against the hole and gasped. There were all the ghouls, though they weren't facing her. They were facing someone else, who appeared to be talking.

Straining her ears, Lauren was able to make out "...Okay, ghouls, we need a plan to catch the killer that was chasing me earlier. I think I've got a pretty good plan but let me lay it out just incase,"

"No!" Lauren shouted in desperation. "Don't listen to him, er, her! She's the killer! Don't go!"

She threw herself over and over again into the wall. After a minute, it paid off. There was a big enough opening for her to crawl through. Lauren scrambled through the hole before getting up. Without even dusting herself off, she ran towards the fake her. She aimed for a wall, kicked off of it, and flew at the imposter, tackling her to the ground. Leon was taken by surprise but only for a minute. He quickly placed her hands on Lauren's shoulders and flipped her over, but Lauren maneuvered her legs from under her, pressed them against the fake's chest, and kicked him into the air, before jumping up herself. She then flew, collided with the fake, and knocked him back into the ground.

The ghouls stared in shock. There were two Laurens. Apparently they had been listening to the imposter and the real one had arrived just in time. "Sibella, we have to go help Lauren!" Tanis cried, pulling on Sibella's sleeve.

"But we don't know which one is the real Lauren." Sibella told her with a grieved face.

"Don't even tempt the thought of getting involved in this fight." The real Lauren said as she took a punch to the face.

"She's right, you know!" The imposter added. "Soon enough she'll be dead and then it'll be easy to tell us apart."

"That's where you're wrong!" Lauren said, sweeping the imposter off of him feet.

The imposter spat on the ground before cracking a grin, and saying "Okay, then. We'll play a game instead." And with that, he grabbed the real Lauren under her armpits, hoisted her into the air, and spun around incredibly fast. When the two landed, the ghouls looked from one to the other, unsure of who was who.

One Lauren stepped forward and said "What are you waiting for? She's obviously the imposter! Get her!"

The other looked affronted. "Me? Don't be batty! It's her that's trying to kill us!"

"Oh, it's no use! They're look and sound exactly alike!" Winnie cried.

"But they can't think alike." Sibella muttered before whispering to the ghouls "There's only one way to figure out which one's the real Lauren."

"How, Sibella?" Phantasma asked.

"Yeah, they look and sound the same." Elsa added.

"But they can't possibly know the same things or think the same way. The real Lauren would know things about us that the shape shifter won't. We just need to ask them both questions until we can figure out who's who." Sibella explained.

"That could work." Elsa replied, seeing the genius in Sibella's idea.

"Of course it will work!" Tanis added excitedly.

"Okay, ghouls! Let's get to testing." Sibella instructed, smiling, before turning around to face the two Lauren's. "We're going to ask you both a series of questions. Whoever gets them right is the real Lauren. The other, well, let's hope you did your research. Question one, who's your father?"

"Pitch Black." the two answered simultaneously.

"What subject do you teach?" Elsa asked.

"P.E." they replied, again at the same time.

The questions came faster and faster, as did the answers. "Who's your boyfriend?"

"Tug Roper."

"What two sports have we played against the cadets this year?"

"Volleyball and soccer."

The ghouls all exchanged glances with one another. Four questions in and they'd gotten no where. Sibella regrouped them before saying "Our questions aren't personal enough. What are some things Lauren knows but wouldn't tell just anyone?"

The ghouls thought about that for a while before Tanis's eyes lit up and she asked "What animal did Revolta turn you into?"

"A frog." Both of them said to the dismay of Tanis.

"Who was your mother?"

"Mother Nature."

"What happened to her?"

"She died."

"How?"

"She was murdered."

"By whom?"

"The Grim Reaper."

Sibella hovered back, watching the interrogating, when an idea popped into her mind. Walking forward, she cleared her throat and asked "After your cousin left and I found you in your room, what did you compare me to to insult me?"

"A tampon." The Lauren on the right replied with a hearty laugh.

The other Lauren bit her lip nervously before smiling good naturedly and saying "I must have forgotten."

Sibella's eyes narrowed before she fell to the ground. "Sibella!" the ghouls all screamed as they, and both Lauren's, crowded around her.

"What's wrong?" Winnie asked her, incredibly concerned.

"I... I haven't drunk any blood in the past month." Sibella replied weakly. Without hesitation, one Lauren reached into her pocket, pulled out a knife, revealed the blade, and cut her wrist. As the blood gushed out of the wound, the other Lauren yanked the blade out of her hand and cut her wrist as well. The first Lauren to cut her wrist held it over Sibella's mouth for several minutes while the other one began to look pale. Sibella, still not full, continued to drink. After a moment, she let go of Lauren's arm, wiped her mouth off, pointed at the Lauren that hadn't allowed Sibella to drink from her wrist, and said "That's her. That's the imposter."

The accused Lauren looked up at her in shock before saying "Sibella, how could you say that? I would have happily let you drink my blood if that imposter hadn't beaten me to it."

Sibella smirked before asking loftily "Before I explain my reasoning, why are you still bleeding?"

Gesturing with her one good arm, the accused Lauren cried "What kind of ridiculous question is that? Of course I'm still bleeding! I just slit my wrist, didn't I?"

If that was supposed to deter Sibella, it didn't work. She only smiled even wider before pointing at the other Lauren's wrist, which was also still bleeding. "If you'd please." Sibella said.

Lauren grinned and the ghouls watched as the skin easily stitched itself back up and the scar quickly faded. The Lauren with the still bleeding wrist looked confused. "Now, unless you can do that, then I think we're done here." The now healed Lauren said.

The bleeding Lauren laughed before saying "Oh is that all you wanted? Well then by all means I suppose it wouldn't hurt to-mphm!" She said, lunging at Lauren with the blade Tug had given her.

Lauren turned, caught the wrist that was holding the knife, and yanked it out of her grasp. "I don't think so." She added before pocketing it. She then looked up at the imposter and said "But I'm not through with you yet.

You attacked my friends, repeatedly, put me in a cell, and almost led them to their deaths. Not to mention, you've attempted to kill me several times."

"Well, let me assure you of one thing, I won't fail this time!" The still bleeding imposter lunged for Lauren yet again. She grappled with her for a moment, managing to tackle her to the ground. But Lauren was stronger and managed to roll over, using all of her body weight to keep the imposter on the ground. The imposter grabbed Lauren by the pockets of her jeans before thrusting her down. Lauren laughed. 'What a cheap tactic from a desperate opponent.' she thought when suddenly she realized when the imposter had messed with her pockets in the first place. She was now holding the pocket knife. Lauren rolled to avoid being cut by it and that ended up working in the favor of the imposter, who managed to sit on top of Lauren.

She held onto the knife with both hands before driving it into Lauren's heart. "No!" the ghouls all cried out as Lauren gasped from the pain. The imposter panted for a moment, smiling at his victory. He watched Lauren, waiting for her to quit moving.

But the light didn't fade from her eyes. If anything, it intensified. Lauren managed to pry a hand free from under the knee of the imposter and wrenched the knife out of her heart. "There's one thing you don't know about me that you really should.

"What's that?" the imposter asked with a laugh, sure the girl before him was dying.

"I can't be killed." Lauren replied before plunging the knife into the chest of the imposter and adding "But you can." The imposter Lauren's eyes bulged in shock as the knife was shoved deeper and deeper into her heart. As soon as it struck, the Lauren facade disappeared and in its place remained the lifeless body of Leon. Reaching down, Lauren yanked the knife out of his chest before thrusting it into her pocket. She looked down at his pale face before gently placing her fingers on his eyelids and pulling them down. Without even blinking, she stood up and ambled over to the ghouls, pulling them in for a hug.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41: A Well Deserved Break**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lauren woke up from a restless night's sleep and quickly put on a lacy blue shirt, navy jeans, brown riding boots, a pair of pearl earrings, and a red flower statement necklace before grabbing a small black handbag. Today she felt like spending the day with her old friends from her human school. She had texted them earlier and found out that it was their last day of Winter Break. And with what had recently happened at the Gathering, Miss Grimwood was fine with giving the ghouls the day off. Lauren's hair went from scraggly to straight in less than a minute and she teleported to the mall. She made sure to land in the back of a store near the food court before making her way over to Starbucks where three individuals were sitting. They saw Lauren coming, pushed back their chairs, and ran over to her before pulling her into a tight group hug. It had been months since Lauren had seen any of her friends in person. Sure they had talked over the phone and communicated via text but to see them in person was refreshing. The hug lasted about five minutes before they returned to the table.

Smiling, Lauren sat down at the table as Marcella passed her a grande peppermint mocha frappuccino before explaining "They're having a buy one get one free special so I got you one."

"Thanks, girlie." Lauren replied, taking a lengthy sip. Absentmindedly stirring her coffee with the straw before saying "Let's get shopping, then." At that moment, she was incredibly grateful that she was able to teleport, which allowed her to visit her friends anytime she wanted. They all pushed their chairs back, stood up, and left the food court, heading off to Belk's first.

Four hours later, the four girls made their way back to the food court for lunch. They ordered at Stick It before making their way to a nearby table. They set their bags down before eating. As Lauren bit into a chicken stick, Jazz said "So I still need to go to the Penalty Box and get a new snowboard. My parent's are taking us up north this coming weekend and I still haven't got my snow gear."

Tara nodded before saying "And I still need to go to the Khaki Barn and buy some shirts. Also, it's Jess's birthday tomorrow and I need to get her a gift."

"Don't forget about the Taj Mahome Video Store. It's my turn to choose the movie for movie night at home and I need to swing by and see if they rent." Marcella added to their ever growing list of destinations.

"I need to go to all three of those places. I need some new sporting gear for P.E., some new jeans, and I convinced Miss Grimwood to let us have a movie night and I need to see what types of movies they have here." Lauren concluded.

After polishing off their meals, they set aside their plastic trays, gathered up their bags, and headed for the Taj Mahome Video Store. Marcella was able to rent Rouge One while Lauren bought Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They left and headed over to the Khaki Barn where Tara bought about four shirts for her sister, Jess, and Lauren found a great deal on skinny jeans so she bought three pairs. Lastly they walked over to the Penalty Box where Jazz bought her snowboarding gear and Lauren purchased a new soccer ball, basket ball, and two canisters of tennis balls.

They were all done with their shopping but they didn't want to part ways quite yet. So they went back in the food court, sat down, and talked. "So how's it been at school?" Lauren asked them.

Marcella excitedly drummed her hands against the table before exclaiming "Our football team won every game this year! We actually beat Eacker High!"

Lauren did a spit take at that. "Whoa! That's major! We haven't done that in, like, twenty years!"

"I know, right?" Jazz asked in an excited tone.

"How was the tennis team?" Lauren asked, nostalgically remembering one of her personal favorite sports.

"Well, they had a lot of freshmen in the lineup." Tara began when Lauren cut her off.

"What do you mean by a lot of freshmen? We had a senior, three juniors, and five sophomores on the team! Notice no freshmen at all. Why so many freshmen all of a sudden?" Lauren asked, aghast.

"Well, there were only two, playing fifth and sixth." Jazz clarified.

"Still. That's suicide!" Lauren cried, rubbing her forehead against her hand. "How badly were we creamed?" She begrudgingly asked, dreading the answer that she knew was coming.

"Even with Grace, Savannah, Maggie, and Isabella playing, and generally winning, first through fourth, we didn't do so hot. Although we did win a lot of exhibition matches." Marcella consoling confided.

"Ugh." Lauren groaned before asking "And what happened at Conference?"

"We won two doubles and three singles while there." Jazz told her, biting her lip as she did so.

Lauren considered that before replying "Well that's not so bad. Though I bet Asheville was still the best."

"Obviously. They never lose a match." Tara said offhandedly.

"I hear that. So is there any news that's not sports related?" Lauren asked interestedly.

Jazz rested her chin on her hand before saying "Well, they've started doing pep rallies and drum circles for basketball now."

"Shut up! When did that start?" Lauren cried excitedly.

"Just a few weeks ago. Mrs. Holiday thought it might get more people to show up to games." Marcella informed her.

Lauren pondered that before asking "And has it?"

Tara laughed before informing her "Not really. It just takes longer to get home now because they last about ten minutes and everyone wants to stay and watch, which really holds up traffic in the student parking lot."

"Aw that's unfortunate." Lauren told her sympathetically.

"You're telling me. You've got it so good, Lauren. You get to live at your school, your teacher seems really chill, and you don't get homework!" Jazz sighed enviously.

Lauren inhaled heavily, thinking about the best way to reply. Ever since her arrival at Miss Grimwood's school, life had either been exceptionally wonderful or exceptionally terrible. They won the volleyball game, which was great. Then they were attacked by Revolta, which was bad. The ghouls and cadets celebrated Lauren's birthday, great. They were kidnapped by the Grim Reaper, bad. They were able to attend the annual monster gala, fangtastic. Leon became obsessive and tried to kill everyone Lauren loved and cared about, horrific. So yes, in some instances, she did indeed have it 'so good' but in others she was the exact opposite. Exhaling, she smiled and told them "As true as that is, I still miss going to school with you guys. I miss being a part of sports teams and playing in the band, eating crappy cafeteria food for an hour in Commons, going to football games and pep rallies. My school only has six students, myself included, so I don't get to experience those things anymore." It was better not to disclose the horrors of her current life with them.

There was a moment of sad silence before Marcella said "Well, you can swing by a football game anytime you like and we can always meet up on weekends and do things like this. Besides, my birthday is over summer break so you have no excuse not to come to that."

"Oh, you know I wouldn't. I plan on coming to all of you guy's birthday's, just so we're clear on that. Just text me the time and date and I promise I'll be there." Lauren told them with a grin.

The girls talked about old times for the next two hours before their parents started arriving. Marcella's mom was the last one and as soon as she left, Lauren dashed into the nearest bathroom and teleported back to her school, happy she got to spend the day with her old friends. Hopefully they'd be able to do something similar to this sometime soon.

* * *

 **Considering how stressful and packed the last several chapters have been, here's a short, light hearted chapter that distracts from the heart wrenching-ness of the previous chapters.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42: An Unfortunate Discovery**

Disclaiming: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lauren sat on the wall that divided her school from the cadet's, her hair blowing in the breeze, when Tug showed up. They hugged before he took a seat beside her. By some sort of miracle, none of the guys recalled what had happened with Leon. Lauren wasn't sure what had caused that, but she was grateful nonetheless. The last thing she wanted was to have to find a way to explain what had happened was all a dream or something and that it hadn't actually happened. Tug wrapped his arm around Lauren's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek in a loving fashion. "How's it going?" Tug asked her with a smile.

"Better now that I'm with you." she replied, placing her head on his chest. "You?" she then asked him.

"Couldn't be better." he answered. "How're the girls?" Tug asked after a moment.

"They're fine. I'm supposed to be working on book reports with them, but I figure they can live without me for a couple minutes. How're you and the rest of the cadets?" Lauren asked him curiously.

Tug sighed heavily before saying "Training sucks but that's our only complaint."

Lauren gave him a sideways glance, thinking to herself 'As if. With the Colonel as a teacher, there has to be more complaints than just training.' But she just put on a sympathetic smile and said "I'm sorry about that. You could always transfer to my school. We basically do nothing anyway."

"I'd love to." Tug replied with an honest sigh.

"It's just too bad it's an all girls school or else I'd get the paperwork for you myself." Lauren told him, hating there was nothing she could do to help her boyfriend.

"I think that the fact that it's an all girls school is an added bonus." Tug replied, flashing a cocky grin. In response, Lauren playfully nudged him in the ribs, but smiled up at him anyway. "Hey you know I was kidding."

"Obviously." Lauren said with an eye roll.

"Psh, shut up." Tug sarcastically quipped in reply.

"Make me." Lauren commanded with a grin.

"Oh, I will." Tug leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. Lauren cupped his face in her hands as he wrapped his long fingers around her torso. The kiss was long and sweet but had to come to an end after a couple minutes from lack of oxygen. They smiled at each other before Tug said "I suppose I better go. The sun's setting and I have a curfew to uphold."

Lauren sighed, knowing he was right. But that didn't mean she wanted to see him go. "You don't think you could manage to sneak back in?"

"For you I'd do anything, but I probably shouldn't risk it. The Colonel already has us all on some pretty thin ice." Tug hesitantly told her.

Lauren felt her heart stop. "Oh, no. What happened?"

"He... found a cupcake wrapper." Tug told her, biting his lip.

Lauren froze, her heart jumping up in her throat. "Does he know..." Lauren trailed off, not able to finish that thought.

"No. He searched the entire room but we hide all of the stuff in the bathroom. The Colonel never checks there anyway." Tug told her with a small grin.

"So what happened then?" Lauren asked, glad that they hadn't been caught.

Inhaling deeply, Tug replied "Well, after he stripped the room in search of any more food, he asked who had eaten the cupcake. We didn't tell him so we had to run ten miles in our pajamas before going to bed."

"Oh, Tug! That's horrible!" Lauren cried sympathetically.

"Eh, it wasn't so bad. At least he didn't find the stash." Tug conceded gratefully.

Rubbing her temple, Lauren guiltily remarked "Still, I feel so bad. I mean, it's kind of my fault anyway for giving you all of that food."

Tug's face fell. Moving to comfort her, he said "Don't sweat it. We'll just have to be a bit more careful from now on."

Lauren smiled slightly, saying "Okay. But let me know if you need anything, okay, babe?"

"You got it. Now I should really get going. Kiss me good night?" Tug eagerly asked.

Lauren didn't answer. She just sauntered on over to him and kissed him on the lips. After a second, she pulled back, said "I'll see you later, Tug.", and gently pushed him in the direction of his school. After watching him leave, Lauren slid off the wall and made her way back to her own school. She could have teleported, or flown even, but it was such a beautiful night that it would have been a crime not to walk. She walked into her room, put on her pajamas, and delved into bed.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43: An Unseemly Reunion**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Lauren woke up as sunlight filtered into her room. She stretched hugely, her hair untangling as she did so. Rubbing her eyes, Lauren stood up and got dressed.

She was reaching for a pair of jeans and a sweater when she suddenly dropped them and grabbed a pair of athletic leggings, a running tank that read 'I Don't Sweat I SPARKLE', and a pair of bright purple Nikes. Pulling her hair up in a messy bun, Lauren left her room and went downstairs to see if any of the ghouls were up yet. She found Sibella, Tanis, and Phantasma downstairs eating breakfast so Lauren decided to join them. "Hey, guys," Lauren greeted, grabbing the box of Scarios and pouring some in her bowl before adding some bat milk.

"Morning, Lauren." Phantasma replied, taking a bite of her own cereal.

"So I had a great idea," Lauren told them as Winnie pulled up a chair and Elsa entered the room.

"What is it, Lauren?" Tanis asked, taking a seat beside her.

"We should go for a hike. We haven't done something like that in forever. Besides, it's Saturday and it looks like it might rain which means it's a perfect day to go outside." Lauren gushed with excitement.

"Oh, that's a fangtastic idea!" Sibella replied with a grin.

"Let's go right after breakfast!" Elsa excitedly suggested.

"Yeah!" Winnie added, gulping down her bowl of cereal.

The ghouls quickly finished eating before they gathered hands around the table. Lauren teleported them to a trailhead. "The Barren Bog?" Sibella asked, reading the trail marker.

"That's right." Lauren said with a grin.

"We haven't been here in months. Not since..." Phantasma trailed off.

"Not since the Revolta incident." Elsa finished for her.

"Oh, what's the big deal? We saw her explode with her lair! We know she's gone so why are you all so jumpy? We should just enjoy the dreary weather and have a fun nature hike. Who knows? We might even fall into some quicksand." Lauren added jovially.

"She does have a good point." Elsa pointed out.

"Besides, quicksand is so much fun!" Tanis added, a goofy grin plastered on her face.

"Alright, then! Let's go!" Winnie said. And with that, the ghouls began walking.

They'd been walking for nearly half an hour when they stumbled upon the ruins of Revolta's lair. The ghouls all quit walking and gazed at it. They were incredibly close to the collapsed castle, so close they could've touched it if they took a few steps forward. An eerie wind blew through the area. Lauren rubbed her arms before saying "C'mon guys, let's leave. I'm not feeling this hike anymore." Lauren held out her hands. Sibella took her left, Tanis took her right. Lauren was just about to teleport them when laughter filled the air.

"What is that?" Tanis asked, nervously clinging to Lauren's arm.

"I'm not sure, Tanis." Lauren replied as a pair of bright red eyes peered at them from the ruins.

"What is that?" Winnie asked, pointing at the eyes.

"I don't know and I don't like it. Let's leave. Everyone, grasp hands, _now_." They were fumbling for each others hands when red eyes blew golden powder onto them.

"What is this stuff?" Phantasma asked curiously.

"Whatever it is, I doubt it's good. Wipe it off!" Elsa told them. But it was too late. They let go of each other's hands and slumped to the ground, feeling tired. Lauren fought against sleep, lifting her head up in an attempt to see who or what was doing this to them. The owner of the red eyes stepped out of the ruins with another cackle. Lauren tried to pry open her eyes and managed to catch a glimpse of green hair and wrinkled skin. Recognition was setting in when she couldn't hold it anymore. Her head hit the ground and she went unconscious.

* * *

"Guys, guys wake up." Elsa whispered as her eyes slowly opened.

"Ah, my head." Winnie moaned softly.

"Where are we?" Sibella questioned, shaking the hair out of her eyes.

"What happened?" Phantasm asked. The ghouls all groggily sat up, massaging their foreheads, stretching, and slowly standing up. Lauren looked down and examined herself before doing the same to the ghouls. There was no visible sign of bodily damage or change. "What happened?" Phantasma asked again.

"Revolta. Revolta... she came and blew something onto us. A powder, I think. Is everyone okay?" Lauren asked. A chorus of 'Yes' filled the room. Lauren and the other ghouls slowly stood up. "We need to get back to the school. C'mon guys." Lauren held out her hands and they formed a circle. Spinning her body in a circle, Lauren felt herself teleport. But upon opening her eyes, she frowned in confusion. They hadn't moved. "Why are we still here?" Lauren asked aloud, glancing around at the ghouls. They were all staring at her with frightened eyes. That's when Lauren noticed she was twenty feet above the ground. Looking down at herself, Lauren squealed in both terror and confusion; she was a bat.

"Lauren, spin in a circle again!" Sibella called up to her. Obligingly, Lauren spun as if she were teleporting. In the next second, she was back on the ground. Looking at her hands, she shakily asked "How was that possible?"

Sibella walked over to her and said "Lauren, flex your teeth for me."

"Flex my teeth?" she replied, confused.

"Trust me, if you can you will." Sibella told her in a serious tone.

"Okay. . ." Lauren trailed off, opening her mouth and trying to flex her teeth. She gasped as fangs sprouted out of her mouth. "Am I a vampire?" Lauren asked, astounded.

"It appears so." Sibella told her slowly.

"Then who got my powers?" Lauren asked. No one was sure. "And did everyone else's powers get switched around? We should probably find out as soon as possible. Sibella, you probably have my abilities since I have yours."

Sibella soaked that information in. After a moment she asked "How would I know?"

Lauren rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She had so many powers that had all taken lots of time to develop, control, and use at will. Sibella, having just had them sprung upon her, would certainly be overwhelmed and unable to attempt something major. "Try something simple. . . like growing a flower. Look at the ground and concentrate, clearly picturing whatever plant you want to grow."

Sibella looked at the ground and focused all of her energy on growing a flower. In a second, a rosebush shot out of the ground. "Whoa!" she shouted in awe.

In the next ten minutes, it turned out that Tanis had Winnie's powers, Elsa had Tanis's powers, Phantasma had Elsa's powers, and Winnie had Phantasma's powers. "Does anyone have any clue how we can get back to normal?" Tanis asked.

"No but Miss Grimwood might." Elsa suggested hopefully.

"But we're miles from the school! We'd have to walk for ages!" Winnie whined.

"Actually," Lauren began, "If Sibella has my powers, it stands to reason that she should have all of my powers. Sibella, you could teleport us home."

"Yeah, Sibella, you could get us back to Miss Grimwood so we can get ourselves sorted out again!" Phantasma agreed eagerly.

"But I don't know how to teleport! Lauren always makes it look so easy, but I don't think I could pull off." Sibella told them disheartedly.

"You've got to try, Sibella. It's just like transforming into a bat. You simply picture the place you want to go, focus entirely on that, spin, and don't stop thinking about where you want to go until you're there." Lauren explained before reiterating "You've got to try."

"O-okay. I'll give it a shot." Sibella replied. The ghouls all grinned appreciatively and clasped hands. Sibella pictured the school and spun as though she were turning into a bat. Upon opening her eyes, Sibella smiled hugely. They were inside the foyer of Miss Grimwood's school.

"Fangtastic job, Sibella! I had complete faith in you!" Lauren cried, throwing her arms around Sibella and hugging her tightly. The other ghouls joined the hug. It lasted several minutes before they broke apart and made their way to Miss Grimwood's lab. "Miss Grimwood, we have a serious problem." Lauren said pushing past her door.

"What is the problem, sweetie?" Miss Grimwood asked, looking up from her huge spell book.

"Revolta switched our powers. She blew some sort of powder on us, knocked us unconscious for a good while, and when we woke up our powers were swapped." Lauren explained.

Miss Grimwood flipped to a particular page in her book, her eyes lighting up as she found the exact potion she was looking for. "I know just the counter potion. But it will take a week to brew. I'm sorry, girls, but that's the best I can give you."

"That's perfect, Miss Grimwood." Elsa replied gratefully.

"Yeah, a week is hardly any time at all." Tanis added with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Plus, it's kinda cool having each other's powers." Winnie mentioned.

"Very well, children. In one week's time you shall be returned to normal." At that, the ghouls left Miss Grimwood to her potion brewing.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44: Burning Rubber**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

It was early in the morning when the school's occupants were awoken by a knock at the door. Lauren groggily sat up in bed and grabbed her hairbrush. Since she could no longer change her appearance at will, she had to manually fix her hair so that it didn't look like a bird had attempted to make a nest in it. Leaving on her athletic shorts and spunky running tank that read 'My Mascara Runs Faster Than You', Lauren headed down the stairs to see who was at the door. Miss Grimwood had beaten her to it and answered the door. The Colonel stepped inside, Lauren paused at the stairs, eager to watch the exchange.

"Ah, Colonel, it's lovely to see you. Please come in." Miss Grimwood welcomed him as she graciously held the door open.

"Thank you, Miss Grimwood." The Colonel replied, walking inside.

The two took a seat and Miss Grimwood asked "So what brings you by this early in the morning, Colonel?"

The Colonel adjusted his tie before saying "I propose we play another game this Wednesday. My men have been training extra hard and I thought it would be rewarding to see that training pay in off in a friendly game of dodgeball."

"Dodgeball? Oh, that sounds wonderful, except I don't know if my girls have ever played before." Miss Grimwood replied worriedly. The Colonel smiled at that as Miss Grimwood turned to Lefty and said "Would you be a dear and fetch Lauren for me? I have a question for her."

As the octopus butler made its way towards the stairs, Lauren began descending them. "No need for sending him, Miss Grimwood. I was on my way to get the door and I heard my name. Is there anything I can do for you at this lovely hour in the morning?"

"Yes, Lauren, thank you. The Colonel had the marvelous idea of our two schools playing another game this Wednesday. He was wants to play dodgeball and so I was wondering if you and the girls had ever played it for P.E.?" Miss Grimwood informed her eldest student.

Lauren smiled hugely before saying "We have, actually. We're a little rusty but I'm sure we'll be on our "A" game come Wednesday. Is that everything?"

"Yes, dearie." Lauren took her leave and jogged up the stairs. Nearing her room, she saw the girls had all gathered in the hallway.

"Who was at the door, Lauren?" Elsa asked as they saw her approach.

"Colonel Calloway." Lauren bitterly replied.

"What did he want?" Phantasma asked.

"To ask if we'd be up for a game of dodgeball this Wednesday." Lauren informed them.

"And are we?" Sibella curiously inquired.

"Of course we are." Lauren replied confidently.

"Oh, I can't wait to get another trophy for my mummy case!" Tanis squealed in delight.

"And I can't wait to kick the cadet's butts for the third time in a row!" Winnie added with a howl.

"You know it!" Lauren beamed before saying "But since we haven't played dodgeball in a while and given that the game is in two days, I suggest we practice now. Get dressed and meet me on the volleyball court." Without further ado, Lauren walked into her room, pulled on a pair of Nike tennis shoes and grabbed a duffel bag before stuffing it with dodgeballs. It was really annoying to not have magic or else she could have fit more than three balls in a bag and wouldn't have to carry two bags. It was also annoying that she couldn't teleport because carrying all of those balls would get tiresome after a while. With a sigh, Lauren put a bag on each shoulder and made her way to the volleyball court. It wasn't long before all of the ghouls were gathered there. "Okay, ghouls." Lauren began, throwing each bag onto the ground. "First things first, we need to take the net down. Three people get on each side and pull up on the strings." They organized themselves, three on each side, and pulled up on the net. Once it was free of the support poles, they folded the net up and moved it to the side. Having finished with that, Lauren unzipped a bag and pulled out a dodgeball before saying "You girls remember how this game works so I say we just practice for a few hours." She plugged her phone up to a speaker and the air was filled with pop music.

They divided into teams of three and began to play. Had they had their normal powers this would have been easy. But it wasn't. Every time Sibella made to give the ball a fierce tap, she would throw it in the air and spin, attempting to turn into a bat and spike it towards the nearest opponent. But because she had Lauren's powers she teleported. And every time the ball was thrown at Winnie, it would go straight through her due to her having Phantasma's powers. Whenever Tanis attempted to use her bandages to catch the ball, nothing happened because she was stuck with Winnie's powers. And whenever Elsa tried to use her super strength, it failed as well because it now belonged to Phantasma, who unfortunately couldn't allow the ball to phase through her so it would hit her instead, leaving bright red marks on her pale blue skin. And Lauren was having it the worst. She didn't have her ability to fly so she couldn't move out of the way as quickly. Lauren also couldn't teleport an inch away so she had to rely strictly on reflexes. Everytime she spun she ended up as a bat and it was driving her crazy.

After an hour of not making any headway Lauren caught a ball and held it rather than throw it. And when Elsa went to sit out, Lauren called her back. "Ghouls, this isn't working. I think we all just need to spend time with the person whose powers we now have and learn to control them because if we play like we've been playing on Wednesday, we will lose. In order to win, we need control. So let's break for a few hours and then meet back here when we're ready." They all nodded so Lauren collected the balls and put them by the net. There was no sense in lugging them back to the school when they'd be coming back for them in just a few hours. All of the ghouls walked back to the school and changed out of their workout clothes.

Lauren pulled on a white romper with a pink rose design on it before sliding into a pair of gold Jack Rogers. Once that was done, she walked over to Sibella's room and knocked on her door. The door opened and she stuck her head out. "Hey, Lauren!"

"Hey, Sibella. I was thinking. We need a girls day. The others are out enjoying their new found powers. So we should do something together, just the two of us." Lauren said.

"What did you have in mind?" Sibella asked her.

"We could go to the mall. I for one am in desperate need of a new dress or two." Lauren suggested.

"Yes, all right. How are we going to get there?" Sibella inquired.

"Hmm. I don't know. I can't very well teleport us and flying simply won't do. Do you by any chance remember the mall where we shopped for dresses and shoes for the monster ball at?" Lauren asked her.

"Yes." Sibella said, her eyes lighting up as the location slowly appeared in her mind.

Lauren sighed with relief. "Could you teleport us there?"

"I believe so." Sibella replied confidently.

"Then let's go." The two clasped hands and Sibella spun in a circle. They arrived in a vacant dressing room in Belks.

Lauren opened the door and the two walked out. "You're really getting the hang of teleporting, Sibella." Lauren commented

"It helps that it's just like turning into a bat, only it's a bit nauseating for a moment after I teleport." Sibella told her.

Lauren looked at her sympathetically before saying "You'll get used to it if you do it enough times. I can't wait for Miss Grimwood to get that antidote ready. Not that being a vampiress isn't awesome or anything, but I really miss my powers."

"As do I. I wouldn't trade anything for my abilities. They're simple and controllable. You have too many. I rolled out of bed this morning but an inch before I hit the ground I stopped falling and hovered in the air. It took me twenty minutes to figure out how to land. And I keep teleporting on accident. The part where I can change my appearance is cool, though. And the magic bit. Those I like. But I honestly wish you could take them back." Sibella exasperatedly told her.

Lauren frowned before replying "I wish I knew why Revolta did this, anyway. Is she going to try to fight us? Is she trying to weaken us? It makes no sense. But I digress. We're here to bond, go shopping, and try to fix whatever problems we're having with each other's powers because it is of the utmost importance that we get them sorted out before our dodgeball game. Not that we won't win, but it would be embarrassing if, say, I turned into a bat and ran smack into one of the cadets or you got mad so you caused an entire thunderstorm. Although hopefully we'll have our proper powers back before then."

Sibella snorted at the idea before replying "Okay then, Lauren. Let's start shopping. Where should we go first?"

Lauren opened her mouth to respond when a ginger in a gray hoodie walked over and said "Hey, look, a fairy and a vampire!" in a joking manner.

Annoyed, Lauren turned to face him when the most brilliant idea crossed her mind. Unsheathing her fangs, she said "She's human, actually." The guy blanched and slowly backed away. Rolling her eyes, Lauren turned back to Sibella and said "C'mon, let's keep shopping."

Sibella sniggered at the boy before the two of them headed towards the nearest store. "That was wicked." Sibella said in awe.

"That was fun." Lauren said in agreement as they browsed the dress rack.

It had been a couple of hours before the ghouls met up at the volleyball court again. Lauren changed out of her romper and into shorts and a purple running tank that read 'That Awkward Moment When You're Wearing Nike's Clothing And You Can't Do It.' She had just bought it at the mall with Sibella and felt that it was especially appropriate to wear it. As they arrived, Lauren said "Okay, ghouls. The last few hours have been great. I think we've finally got our new found powers under control and are ready for a second practice. Let's team up again and pull off a fangtastic practice. And excuse the pun but if I'm going to be a vampire, I might as well talk like one." Laughter filled the air, mingling with the pop music as the practice began. This time Sibella didn't try to turn into a bat. When she threw the ball, she used her hands. Phantasma didn't try to phase away from the ball, she caught the ball. Tanis quit trying to project her bandages and simply used her hands. Elsa coped without her super strength and Winnie quit accidently phasing through the ball. Lauren simply used her vampire reflexes instead of trying to teleport and fly. The practice went beautifully and before they knew it the sun was setting. When she saw this, Lauren said "Okay, ghouls. The sun has set and we should probably head in. We'll practice again tomorrow. But for now let's go get some rest." Together they trekked back to the school. Once in her room Lauren took the bags off of her shoulders, put on a pair of pajamas, and fell asleep.

* * *

"All right, ghouls! That was an amazing practice! The game is tomorrow and we're totally going to win!" Lauren shouted with glee as she tucked the dodge ball under her arm.

"I can't wait to get a third trophy for my mummy case!" Tanis cried.

"You bat we will!" Sibella replied with a grin. Lauren still hadn't gotten used to seeing her smile without the fangs. Not that she didn't look nice, but it wasn't usual. Shaking her head, Lauren sighed. They still had each other's powers. She hoped that Miss Grimwood would have that antidote ready before the game began and if she didn't, then she prayed they didn't lose control during the game and accidentally reveal to the cadets what they were. That wouldn't go over well. They were walking back to the school when the cadets ran by.

"I see the guys are practicing." Elsa noted.

"You can't win at dodgeball if you don't actually play dodgeball. All they're doing is running laps." Winnie added with a snicker.

Once they'd finish commenting, the ghouls made to go back into the school. Lauren stayed and watched the cadets run. They were pushing themselves so hard that Lauren almost felt bad about agreeing to the game. The Colonel, surprisingly, had suggested a game and had given them less than a week to prepare. Lauren smiled ruefully at the thought. It wouldn't be great for the cadets, but she was looking forward to defeating them just like they'd done with every other game they'd ever played. Lauren decided she would wait for Tug to finish. She hadn't talked to him in a while and she missed him. An hour passed before she saw the boys begin to make their way back to their school. Lauren waved as Tug walked by. He saw her and jogged on over, wiping the sweat from him brow. As he sat down on the wall beside her, she passed him a water bottle. "We finished our practice a while ago so I thought I'd bring you a drink."

"Thanks." Tug said as he gulped it down. After a minute, the bottle was nearly empty. He stopped drinking, took in a deep breath, and turned to Lauren. "So how's it going?"

"Pretty good. I just finished a mean practice of dodgeball." Lauren told him before asking "Question for you; how does running laps for an hour help you train for dodgeball?"

Tug shrugged before replying "The Colonel says it builds endurance."

"Uh huh." Lauren sighed before grinning and saying "That clears things up. Anyways, how's it going with you?"

Tug ran a hand through his drooping hair, saying "Pretty good, since I get to hang out with my amazing girlfriend."

Lauren threw her arms around him and hugged him closely. "Awe! I love you, Tug."

"I love you, too, Lauren." Tug told her, snatching her chin and pulling her in for a kiss. Lauren leaned into the kiss when she felt a strange feeling in her throat. An odd burning sensation crept up her throat as the kiss deepened. Lauren felt her mouth move from Tug's mouth to his neck and her teeth began to hurt. It felt like they were being pulled out. Suddenly her fangs were unsheathed and they grazed Tug's skin.

He let out a soft moan as Lauren pressed the flat edge of the fangs against his neck and dragged them down a little. She suddenly snapped out of it and pulled away from him. Tug looked at her in a daze as her fangs retracted into her mouth. "Wow. That was just. . . wow." Tug managed.

Lauren felt a small blush creep in as she replied "I know. Every kiss we share takes my breath away."

"It does. It honestly does." Tug replied, smiling as Lauren leaned in to kiss him again. After a minute, she pulled back, smiling with bless while trying to shove her fangs back in her mouth with her tongue. "Well, I better get back to practice or the Colonel will have my head." Tug said with a sigh.

"If you insist." Lauren told him with a sad smile. The two hugged goodbye before parting ways. Lauren made sure she wasn't being watched before she spun and turned into a bat. If she couldn't teleport, she was going to fly at the very least. Flapping her wings, Lauren pushed against the air and propelled herself back to the school, eager to win another game.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45: An Important Meeting**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

Lauren was sitting on her window sill couch, propped up against a pillow, reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with a frown on her face. It was basically glorified fanfiction. It didn't have the same magic as the other Harry Potter books. As she read, she fiddled with the zipper on her vest. Suddenly there was a tap on her window. Looking up, Lauren saw Jack Frost leaning against her window, a grin on his face. Smiling, Lauren set the book down before opening the window. Jack leaped inside, swinging his staff against his shoulder. "Hey, Jack! What brings you by?" Lauren asked, sitting back down.

"Every year in January, all of us Guardians are required to meet in North's palace in order to discuss the upcoming year," Jack explained, sidling beside Lauren.

Lauren wrinkled her nose. "Are you serious?"

"Completely serious," Jack replied, sitting down beside her. "Hey, you can still do that little mind trick where we can talk through reverse mind reading right?"

Lauren's smile faded. "Actually I can't. At least not for the next week."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, confused.

"Well, yesterday the ghouls and I went on a hike. Someone ambushed us, blew some type of powder onto us, and our powers were switched. Miss Grimwood said she can whip up an antidote, but it'll take a week to brew." Lauren explained, trying to retain her own frustration at her severe misfortune.

"Whose powers did you get then?" Jack asked after a moment, looking torn between laughing and being concerned.

"I got Sibella's." She told him.

"The vampire?" Jack asked, denoting to the picture of the ghouls Lauren kept on her mantel.

"Correct."

"So what can you do? Turn into a bat?" Jack snickered.

Lauren unsheathed her fangs and hissed at him. Jack jumped back. "That's a good response," Lauren replied, crossing her arms with a smirk. "But I can turn into a bat, actually, so you weren't technically wrong."

Suddenly Jack's face fell. "You mean you can't teleport anymore?"

With a heavy sigh, she replied "Unfortunately. Jack, is there a problem?"

Jack's face paled even further. "Yes! We're already late! But I took my time because I was assuming you could get us there on time."

"What? Well, it's not my fault. You'll just have to tell North what happened when we get there." Lauren frowned before asking "How are we getting to the Pole, exactly, since I can't teleport?"

"I can still fly us there. But you might want to put on some layers." Jack told her after pondering their predicament for a moment.

Lauren arched an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"Well, if you don't have your powers anymore, I'm assuming you can no longer keep yourself warm at will. And we are going to be flying thousands of feet up in the air in the Arctic Circle. So yeah, you might want to throw on a coat." He told her pointedly.

"Good point. Turn around and shut your eyes." Lauren instructed. Once Jack did so, she pulled off her brown riding boots before stripping off her jeans and the maroon sweater. She pulled on a pair of leggings before pulling her jeans back on. Lauren also tugged a tank top on over her head. Semi-dressed, she began walking around looking for warm clothes. She pulled on a skin-tight athletic shirt before slipping on her maroon sweater and gray vest again. She then pulled on three pairs of fuzzy socks before slipping on her brown boots. Lauren then proceeded to pull on two sweatshirts followed by a light jacket and a heavy winter coat. For a finishing touch, Lauren pulled on a pair of earmuffs, two fuzzy hats, two scarves, and three pairs of gloves. "Okay, Jack. I'm ready to go." Lauren managed to speak through the layers of scarves she'd wrapped around her face.

Jack turned to look at her and let out a laugh. "How can you walk with all of that on?"

"I can't," Lauren told him, her voice muffled by the many scarves she had donned. "I don't think I can move at all so can we please leave now? I'm starting to get an itch and I can't scratch it."

"Where is it? I'll scratch it for you." Jack told her, extending his arm towards her back.

Shaking her head, Lauren told him "You would need Google Maps to find it under all of this. Let's just go."

Jack rolled his eyes before motioning for Lauren to jump on his back. She managed to do so and keep her grip. Once she was secure, Jack jumped out the window and the two took off. He spiraled into the air before conjuring a massive wind that took them to the Pole at nearly a hundred miles per hour. Lauren clung to Jack's neck and buried her face in the back of his neck. She wasn't used to being cold or fearing free falling until she pancaked onto the ground. "You okay back there?" Jack asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm great." Lauren choked out, not looking up.

"I'm not going to drop you, I promise. And we're almost there so you'll be warm soon." Jack felt her nod against his back. The corners of his lips tugged down in a slight frown before he conjured another gust of wind, doubling their speed.

It took twenty minutes and nearly all of his energy, but Jack finally got Lauren to the Pole. He flew them inside, shouting "We're here, we're here!" He helped Lauren unclasp her frozen hands and get down from his back.

"Lauren? Is something wrong with her?" Tooth asked, flying over as fast as possible.

"Eh? What's up, Sheila? Are you alright?" Bunny inquired.

"Lauren, what's wrong?" North asked.

Sandy produced several sand glyphs, each lasting no longer than a second but all of them showed concern for Lauren.

Lauren pushed off her hoods before replying "I'm all right, really, but thanks for the concern."

"You guys were supposed to be here nearly an hour ago so when you didn't show up we got really worried. We were just about to go looking for you two!" Tooth said, all in one breath. "So why are you late?" Tooth asked as an end note.

"I blame frostbite," Bunny said, pointing at Jack with a boomerang.

"Hey, it's not my fault! Sure I was a little late on my way to pick her up but I thought she'd be able to teleport us here." Jack replied, pushing the boomerang out of his face.

"Not able to teleport? Lauren, what this all about?" North asked, extremely concerned for their youngest member.

"It's nothing, really. At my school, our powers all got switched around. Sibella has mine and I have hers. But Miss Grimwood is working on an antidote right now. I'll be back to normal in a week." Lauren explained.

"You mean you're a vampire?" Bunny asked, his eyes wide.

"For the rest of the week, yes. It's why Jack had to fly us here and why I'm so bundled up. I can't internally warm myself so I have to externally warm myself." Lauren told them, denoting to the growing pile of clothing at her feet. By this point in her story, she had successfully removed most of her clothing and had a small pile around her. She looked up from pulling off her fifth glove and saw the Guardians were all hovering protectively around her. Rolling her eyes, Lauren threw the glove down and said, "I'm fine, you guys, really."

"If you're sure..." Tooth trailed off, glancing at North and Bunny.

"I'm one hundred percent fine. Let's get this meeting Jack told me about started." They walked over to where a ring of six armchairs had been set up. Lauren jumped up into her massive armchair, Jack to her left and Tooth to her right. North began talking about procedures and schedules for the upcoming year. The cushy chair and blazing fire made Lauren feel incredibly sleepy. She was feeling herself nodding off when something bumped into her knee. Her eyes popped open and she gazed down to see three elves looking at her. Two of them were hoisting a large tray of cookies, the third a mug of hot chocolate. "Thank you," Lauren whispered, accepting the mug. She set it on the arm of the chair before grabbing three cookies. She broke off the tip of a star-shaped cookie, dipped it in her hot chocolate, and ate it. Her body instantly warmed up. Sighing, Lauren leaned even farther back into her chair. She felt herself falling asleep but couldn't bring herself to snap out of it, the mug slipping through her fingers.

The lull was broken by another tap to her knee. This time it wasn't the elves. It was Jack. He nudged her with his staff again as Lauren made eye contact with him. "Sleepy?" he mouthed.

"Just a bit." she mouthed back.

"It'll be over soon, I promise." Jack mouthed back as he bit the tip of a Christmas tree cookie off.

Lauren smiled appreciatively before turning her attention back to North. True to his word, the meeting did end soon. Lauren drained her mug, finished off her cookie, and handed the mug to the nearest elf. If she kept going to North's house she was going to end up bloated. Lauren slid out of the chair and began pulling on her mountain of clothes.

"Let me know when you're ready to go," Jack said, walking nearby, his staff on his shoulders with his elbows balanced on it.

"Will do," Lauren replied, zipping up one of her jackets.

"I think a sleigh ride might get you back to your school faster. And Jack won't have to tire himself out." North said, approaching them.

"I don't mind taking her home," Jack said, whirling around to face him.

"Neither do I. But the sleigh is faster and will keep her warm." North pointed out.

"I'm plenty fast and I do keep her warm." Jack retorted, gesturing widely with his arms.

"Really?" North asked, denoting to Lauren who had toppled over in the process of zipping up her last coat. Tooth fluttered over and helped her up. Once Lauren was standing Tooth began helping her finish dressing.

"Mates, if you're done arguing over who gets to escort the lady home, might I suggest asking her what she wants to do?" Bunny suggested as Tooth wrapped the last scarf around Lauren's face.

Lauren looked at them then before realizing what he was saying. "Oh no. Don't leave this up to me. I can't choose."

"Well, I for one think you should go with North. He's right. The sleigh ride would be a whole lot faster, not to mention warmer." Tooth said.

"Can't argue with that logic. Let's go, North." North stuck his tongue out at Jack before jogging after Lauren. She had already waddled her way into the sleigh. North took the reins and they were off. He would have dragged the ride out because he knew how much Lauren enjoyed them but when he saw her shivering he pulled out a snow globe and threw it in front of the sleigh. The pair were instantly warped to the school. North parallel parked the sleigh outside Lauren's window. Sometime between her departure and now the sun had set so it was pitch black. That was good because she would have a lot of explaining to do if any of the cadets saw what was happening right now. "Thanks, North." Lauren said, kissing him on the cheek. "See you at the next meeting. Thanks for the ride." Lauren said, opening her window and slinking inside. North waited until her window was shut before he left. Lauren watched him go before she began peeling the layers of clothing off, eagerly awaiting her powers to return and the upcoming dodgeball game. Nothing could ruin her mood.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46: The Master Behind the Madness**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

"Girls, girls! I've completed the antidote! All each of you needs to do is take a single sip and your powers will be transferred back to you. If we hurry up, you can get your powers back in time for the upcoming dodgeball game later this evening." The ghouls were ecstatic and followed Miss Grimwood into her room where a beautiful cauldron of silvery liquid resided in the middle of the room. She spooned them each a small bottle full, corked them, and passed them around until everyone had a bottle. "Okay, girls. On the count of three, uncork you vials and take a sip. One, two-" but Miss Grimwood was cut off by a gaping hole being blasted into the wall. Lauren quickly pocketed her bottle of the antidote as two figures appeared out of the dust. One of them, Lauren did not recognize but the other she did and ground her teeth in fury. There before them was a man in all black with his hood pulled up so no one could see his face and a sword drawn. The woman beside him was Revolta.

"You weren't joking, Revolta. These little ghouls do look powerful." The hooded figure spoke, running a single finger down the edge of his sinister-looking blade.

"I told you they did, Dreadwing. And with them by my side, we shall rule the world!" Revolta replied with a slight cackle.

"What makes you think we'll help you do anything?" Sibella shouted the first of the ghouls to regain her voice. Once she spoke up, the others followed suit.

"Yeah! Last time we met we totally kicked your butt!" Winnie added.

"Actually, dear child, at our last meeting I swapped your powers, leaving you powerless to stop me."

"We may not have our powers but we can still fight you!" Elsa told her fiercely.

Revolta chuckled before saying "I thought we might hit this little snag. To ensure you do exactly as I say I brought along a little insurance. Oh, Creeper, would you bring the boys in here?"

"Gladly, Revolta." The Grim Creeper replied, dragging in all six of the cadets, each of whom was struggling against their shackles. When Tug and Lauren made eye contact they cried out to each other but it was in vain. There was nothing Tug could do because he was tied up and there was nothing Lauren could do because she didn't have her powers. As far as she knew, there was nothing she could do with Sibella's powers to free them other than drain Revolta, Dreadwing, and the Creeper of their blood but there was no way she could do that to all three of them without being killed herself. For the first time, Lauren would have to fight without her immortality on her side. Her heart began to race as she realized how little a chance they had, or at the very least she had, to escape.

"And I'm so fortunate as to have interrupted your party before you could get your old powers back. My plan is going perfectly. Now let's see. Dreadwing, tie them all up. And just know, my little ghouls, if you try anything I kill one of the boys. And if a boy tries anything, I'll kill one of the girls." After a moment, they were all tied up. "Very good. Now, Dreadwing, bring Lauren Black, the blonde girl, before me." Lauren was forcibly lifted up and dragged by her armpits over to Revolta. "Now kneel." Lauren was forced to her knees before Revolta who was cackling with glee at her good fortune. The bane of her existence was finally captured. "Aw, Lauren Black. Daughter of the boogeyman. I'm so pleased you decided to join me today." Lauren held her chin up and refused to reply. "Before I begin bragging at my capture of you, I suppose introductions are in order. Girls, this handsome man is Dreadwing. He is an assassin I hired as backup for today. I know what you're all thinking. How could I possibly need help? Well, I figured that a little backup wouldn't hurt and besides, I really want today to go perfectly. After all, I've spent months and months planning this." Revolta kept talking as though she'd never stopped. "Today, after several months of fine tuning my plan for revenge, I have caught you and all those involved in your little escapade last Halloween. However, before my plan goes into action, I'd like to tell you the gist of it. The last time you thwarted me I was planning on turning you all evil and using you as my personal swat team to wreak havoc on both the human and monster world. And I would have gotten away with it if you hadn't stopped me. You see, Lauren, you may be the most powerful out of all of your friends, but you are also the biggest threat to my plans. I thought it over and I've decided that I don't need you to take over the world. Yes it would be easier to with your help but I can manage with just your friends." Revolta clasped her hands together, thoroughly enjoying the moment more immensely than she dreamed was possible. She looked at each of the cadet and ghoul's faces, staring directly into their eyes, before deciding to put an end to the suspense.

"Dreadwing, finish her." The assassin walked forward as the ghouls and cadets both began to scream. Lauren shut her eyes, inhaled, then exhaled. Dreadwing yanked down his hood and drew his sword, Duskscreamer, before leveling it with Lauren's chest. The ghouls were screaming and crying, begging him not to kill her and the cadets, even though they weren't as close to Lauren as the ghouls were, were shouting threats. Tug was clawing at his shackles, trying to get loose, screaming Lauren's name until his throat hurt.

Lauren felt tears trickle down her face. She knew what the result would be and she very badly wanted to comfort them all, but it would ruin their escape if she said anything so she kept quiet as he thrust the sword at her. Lauren's eyes snapped open and she rolled out of the way, the sword missing her by a hair. He was about to slice at her again when she twisted and turned into a bat, her shackles falling off. Flying well out of reach of the sword, she turned back into a human, uncorked the potion bottle, and took a sip. Lauren's body began to tingle. "I hope this worked," she mumbled under her breath as Dreadwing ran at her and thrust his sword directly into her heart. He thrust it in until the hilt pressed against her chest. Lauren gasped and blood trickled out of her mouth. Expecting the light to leave her eyes at any moment, Dreadwing removed the blade and wiped off the blood on Lauren's shirt. She spits the blood out of her mouth and waited with bated breath, hoping for some sign that she was healing. It was then that she felt her heart slowly stitch back together. Smiling slightly to herself, Lauren began forming a plan for their escape. "Hey, Dreadwing!" she snapped, getting his attention. He looked bewildered and slowly placed his hand back on the hilt of his sword. "There's something Revolta forgot to tell you about me. Something she herself didn't know. I've developed several new powers since our last meeting on Halloween and one of them, most unfortunately for you, is that I can't be killed!" Dreadwing ripped Duskscreamer loose and swung at Lauren's head only to be stopped when it clashed with a magical sword, conjured out of nothingness.

"What?" Revolta shrieked. This couldn't be happening. She hadn't been planning her revenge for months, taking every factor into consideration, only to be thwarted by some unforeseen variable.

"Let's just say that my mother had this unique ability to turn light into a weapon of choice. Generally, it was a bow and arrow, which is what I'll be using to kill you once I finish with him." Lauren told her icily.

Dreadwing swung his sword at Lauren again only for her to parry the blow. He couldn't land a single blow because she was too quick for him. "I must thank North for the excellent sword training," Lauren mumbled as she slid under his legs and cut upward with the sword, the result of which caused him to scream in immense pain. She flipped off the ground and cut him between the shoulder blades but before she could get in another blow, he parried the blow. Their swords slid apart and clanging sounds filled the room as their blades clanged against one another. He managed to nick Lauren's arm but it was a minor cut and healed in seconds. However, every cut that Lauren made on Dreadwing did not heal. It weakened him. He made a swing at her head and she ducked. Duskscreamer subsequently ended up embedded in the wall. Lauren rolled out from under him and placed the edge of her blade against his neck. Dreadwing quit trying to pry his sword from the wall and dropped his hands before slowly raising them in surrender. Lauren looked at the ghouls and cadets who were either crying, shaking, or frozen with fear. Her eyes then turned back to look at Dreadwing and her eye's hardened. With a swift swing, she separated his body from his head.

Without even flinching she turned to face Revolta, the sword disappears. She walked up to Revolta who was slowly backing herself into a wall in disbelief. "Creeper! Do something!" Revolta shouted.

"Y-yes Revolta." he reluctantly stammered, approaching Lauren, tentacles raised. Lauren paused in her tracks before smiling. She held up her hands in front of her, clenched her fists, and concentrated with all of her might. The room was filled with creaking and snapping sounds.

"What did you do?" Revolta asked, leaning into the wall, bracing herself. Before Lauren could answer, the ghouls and cadets stood up and began rubbing their writs. "What happened to your shackles?" Revolta cried, her eyes widening in fear and confusion.

"Lauren broke them with her power to bend metal!" Tanis told her, smiling hugely.

Revolta stared at her in terrified awe. The Creeper looked at Lauren, pondering whether or not he should go after her. Suddenly, a bow and arrow appeared. Lauren fired, hitting the Creeper in the eye. He flailed around before dissolving into dust. She then turned her attention to Revolta who was shaking. "You brought this on yourself, you know, attacking me and my friends like that. Your minion and assassin are dead and all that is left is for me to finish you off."

Revolta was trembling. She thrust her arm out and cried "Lauren, wait. Don't do anything rash, now. You could still join me. Together we could rule the world. Both humans and monsters would fear us and we would be unstoppable!"

Lauren stopped in her tracks, looking at the sniveling witch in front of her with a look of sympathy and disgust. How Revolta could think that she would still join her, after all, she had done to her and her friends were unbelievable. "Don't you get it? I will never join you. None of my friends will ever join you. You're alone, Revolta. You have nobody." And with that, Lauren fired. The arrow struck her in the forehead and Revolta dropped to the ground. Lauren inhaled deeply before turning to face the ghouls and cadets. The ghouls ran up and hugged Lauren. When they split apart, Lauren said, "You girls drink up and get your powers back." They uncorked their vials and gulped down the silvery liquid. As they relished in the return of their powers, Lauren glanced at the boys.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47: A Not-So-Secret Identity**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

The cadets were frozen in fear. Lauren nudged the ghouls before approaching them, palms up, her bow and arrows gone. "Are you guys... okay?" Lauren asked in a soft voice.

They stared at her, frozen in fear and confusion. They were silent for so long that Lauren thought they were paralyzed to the point of being incapable of speech. "Okay? _Okay?_ No, we're not okay! Who was that? What was that? What just happened?" Roger asked, trembling with terror. Lauren approached him but he jumped away.

"Get away from him! You're a monster! You... you have powers! And so do the rest of your freak friends!" Miguel snapped.

A pained expression crossed Lauren's face and she lowered her hands. "We just saved your lives."

"Saved our lives? If it weren't for us knowing you none of this would have happened in the first place!" Jamal shouted at her.

"Yeah! We knew you girls were creepy but we just thought that's how all girls were. We didn't know you were monsters!" Grunt barked, jumping back as Lauren turned her gaze towards him.

Lauren took a shaky breath. "It's okay. You're just saying that because you're scared-"

Lauren was cut off by Roger who shouted at her "Scared? Of course, we're scared. You got stabbed in the chest and are completely fine! That woman was talking about killing us if we tried anything! And you just killed three people! We're absolutely terrified of you, you freak!" Roger shouted.

"Hey, military boy, you leave her alone!" Winnie shouted, running over to stand by Lauren, growling at them and clenching her fists.

Lauren saw this and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, Winnie. It's okay. They're right, I am a freak."

"Lauren, no! Don't say that!" Sibella cried, gliding over to where the two of them stood.

"I will say it, Sibella, because it's true," Lauren told her with a grim smile.

"No, it's not!" Tanis shouted, hugging Lauren's leg.

Lauren glanced down at Tanis before replying "Yes it is. In fact, we're all freaks. Every single one of us."

"Lauren! How could you say that!" Elsa asked in a hurt tone.

"Yeah! We're supposed to be your friends!" Phantasma added, equally stung.

"You are my friends! I love each and every one of you!" Lauren told them.

"Then why did you call us freaks?" Tanis asked sadly.

"Freak isn't a bad thing, Tanis. It's a wonderful thing, Look at what we can do that no one else can! We have amazing abilities that make us all unique. But it's not a bad thing and do not for a single second think that it is. You're all so beautiful and talented that it hurts. Freak isn't a derogatory word. It means a person with a unique ability, that's all." Lauren turned to Roger and said "So yes, we may be freaks, but so what? When have we ever hurt you? Can any of you name a single instance where we have brought harm your way? No, you can't because we haven't. All we've done is invited you to our school to share holidays and meals and other special occasions because we wanted to include you. I've been buying you food for months so you don't starve under the Colonel's strict meal plan. The most we've ever done to you was when we beat you at soccer and volleyball, which may have hurt your pride, but just your pride. We would never do _anything_ to hurt you but if that's the way you feel, fine. Please leave. There's a giant hole in the wall now. Feel free to use it."

Roger took the first step towards it when suddenly there was a monstrous shriek outside. "What was that?" Jamal asked.

"Another monster, probably," Miguel replied, his voice cracking with terror.

Lauren's face hardened as she turned towards the ghouls. "One of you needs to come with me to investigate whatever's out there. The other four need to stay here and protect the cadets."

"I'll go with you, Lauren," Sibella replied.

Lauren nodded, drew her bow, notched an arrow, and the two took to the skies, flying out through the hole. Once outside the school, Sibella and Lauren looked around for the source of the shriek when it sounded again. The two looked up to see a massive dragon. It towered above the two ghouls, eclipsing the sun as it unfurled its wings, its muscled, black body rippling as it did so.

"This must belong to Dreadwing," Lauren shouted to Sibella in order to be heard over the roar of the beast.

"You're probably right. What are we supposed to do about it?" Sibella cried, denoting to the gigantic creature.

"Maybe it's tame." Lauren hopefully suggested. "But if it isn't we'll have to kill it."

"Is that even possible?" Sibella inquired, again denoting to the dragon's sheer size and power.

Lauren gazed at the dragon long and hard before replying "It'll have to be. Hold on a second." Lauren flew so close to the dragon that they weren't even a foot apart. She placed her hands on the dragon's face and cooed "You are such a pretty dragon! Yes, you are, yes you are! You don't want to hurt anybody, do you? No, you don't. So why don't you fly away now? Fly away and never come back." Lauren kissed it on the nose and flew back a few feet, hoping it would fly off. Instead, it opened its mouth and breathed black fire onto her. It was extremely fortunate for her that she is flame retardant.

* * *

It had been silent for several minutes after Lauren and Sibella had left. The ghouls were antsy but ignored the cadets because they were still pissed at them. "Is she going to be okay?" Tug asked quietly. The ghouls ignored his question and continued to stare out of the hole. "Hey, I asked you a question. Is Lauren going to be okay?" Tug asked again, this time he was much louder.

"She's Lauren. She'll be fine." Tanis replied after a moment, her voice steely.

Tug nodded appreciatively and continued to sit in silence with the rest of the cadets. Suddenly their view was cut off by a massive flame of fire. Tug jumped up and screamed. There were similar reactions from the others. "Lauren!" Tug cried.

"I'm sure she's fine," Roger told him. Tug turned around and punched Roger so hard in the face that he collapsed on the ground. "What the crap, man?"

"I am sick of how you guys are reacting to this! Lauren was right when she said that they're still the same girls we've always known. And so what if they're monsters with strange powers? That just makes them even cooler! Now, I'm going out there to see if I can help prevent my girlfriend from getting burned alive." Tug made to storm off but Elsa stopped him. "Let go of my arm, Elsa." Tug told her.

"Tug, you don't want to go out there. If it's too much for Sibella and Lauren to handle then there's nothing you can do." Elsa quietly explained, not loosening her grip.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing." Tug told her, struggling to free himself from her ironclad grasp.

"What if we all went?" Baxter suggested. The cadets looked at him as though he was speaking a foreign language but the ghouls and Tug were smiling hugely.

"Yeah, yeah. If we all went we could totally help them!" Tug exclaimed in agreement.

"I don't know. It's different if we go to help because we can handle it. But you guys..." Winnie trailed off.

There was another wave of fire outside. Tug's face hardened and he said "I'm going. And if I go by myself I will, but I'm going."

He made to march out when Baxter ran up to him and said, "I'm going too!"

Tug ruffled his hair before saying "So that's two of us. Are the rest of you boys going to cower in here like babies or are you going to act like men?" Grunt, Jamal, Miguel, and Roger all exchanged glances before one by one they joined Tug and Baxter. Grinning, Tug turned to the four ghouls and said "We're all in. What can we do to help?"

The ghouls all exchanged nervous glances. "Well if you really want to help you're going to need some sort of weapon or machine because there's no way you can handle what's out there without something to defend yourself with." Phantasma said after a moment.

"You chicas just get going. We'll be outside in a few minutes. I've got an idea for something that will put that dragon's fire out." Miguel promised. The rest of the ghouls left as the boys huddled up and began planning the design for Miguel's contraption.

* * *

"Should we kill it now?" Sibella asked as the fire dissipated from around Lauren.

"That sounds like a good idea. Can I count on you being a distraction?" Lauren asked, rolling up her sleeves.

"It's why I get up in the morning," Sibella replied, transforming into a bat and flying at the dragon. She flew over its head like an annoying fly and just managed to avoid his fiery breath.

Lauren peppered it with arrows and in between each volley of arrows, she manipulated rocks, stones, and boulders up in the air and launched them at him. But that was proving futile. Dissolving her bow and arrows, she lit her hands and began throwing fireballs at him. But that also didn't work. It only succeeded in making him angrier. The dragon began ignoring Sibella entirely and was entirely focused on Lauren at this point. It blew fireball after fireball at her. Lauren had to teleport to avoid being hit, not that it would hurt her, but it was still annoying. "Sibella, we need another option!" Lauren called up to her.

"How about a little backup?" Elsa suggested as she and the others ran out onto the field.

"Let's wrap this up!" Tanis said, wrapping up the dragon's legs with her bandages.

With the combined powers of the ghouls, the dragon began backing away but not by a large amount. They'd been at it for nearly half an hour and were starting to wear out. Suddenly a whirring noise filled the air. Lauren's head snapped up and looked over at the ghouls. "What is that noise?"

Before any of them could reply, a voice boomed out "Don't worry, girls! Calloway will save the day!"

"Tug?" Lauren shouted in confusion before throwing a look at Elsa, Phantasma, Winnie, and Tanis.

"What? They wanted to help." Phantasma said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Rolling her eyes, Lauren looked at the contraption. It was shaped like the frame of a helicopter and was carrying all six guys, each of whom were sporting giant blasters.

"Take aim, men!" Tug commanded. They all lined their blasters with the dragon's head and waited for him to open his mouth. Getting the idea, Lauren lifted another several dozen rocks and threw them at his head. The dragon opened his mouth to breath fire onto the rocks in order to deflect them. Once his mouth was open Lauren yanked the rocks out of the way and the cadets fired. Six full pressure jet streams of water were propelled into his mouth. The dragon spluttered, choked, and was sent backward by several yards. He shook his head and tried to blow more fire but he was put out.

"Way to go guys!" Winnie cheered.

"This I can handle," Lauren replied, grabbing the dragon by the head and twisting. In a second she was gone.

Tug dropped his blaster in shock. "W-where'd she go? Where did Lauren go?" he screamed in fury.

"It's fine, it's fine, Tug. She's just teleported. Lauren'll be back in a matter of seconds." Tanis told him.

"S-she can teleport?" Tug asked in shock and awe.

Sibella flapped into their contraption before turning back into her human form. She placed a hand on Tug's shoulder before saying "Tug, I know that it's a lot, finding out what we all are, nearly being killed, and battling a giant dragon. But I assure you that one thing hasn't changed and that's how much Lauren loves you. She loves you so much it hurts. So I want to let you know that there are a lot of things about her that you don't know. And I mean a lot. She'll tell you when she's ready, so go easy on her. Also, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a vampire so if you do anything to hurt her I will drain every ounce of blood out of your body."

Tug cracked a grin and replied "Thanks, Sibella. I appreciate this. And you don't need to worry about me hurting her. My love for her hasn't changed either."

An arm flung around Sibella's shoulder and another around Tug's shoulder and a voice said, "I love you both." Lauren kissed Sibella on the cheek and Tug on the lips before adding "Well the dragon's gone."

"Where'd you take him?" Sibella asked curiously.

"Oh, just deep, deep, deep space." Lauren airily replied.

"Will he die?" Tug inquired curiously.

"No, I don't think so. He seemed very resilient." Lauren replied as Miguel landed the aircraft.

As the cadets unboarded, Tug asked Lauren "So what happens now?"

"In what aspect?" She asked in reply.

"In relation to the fact that we just narrowly escaped death and fought a giant dragon. And while we're on this topic of conversation, how often does this happen around here?" Tug asked, slightly concerned.

"You'd be surprised how frequent this is. We're talking at least once a month here." Lauren replied after mentally tallying the number of fights she had been in since arriving at Miss Grimwood's school.

"Seriously? How are you guys still alive?" Tug asked, concern creeping into his tone as he tried to play it off.

Lauren shrugged her shoulders before replying "It's a gift, I suppose." She looked Tug in the eyes, frowned, and asked "Tug, I want you to be one hundred percent honest with me right now. Are you going to be okay with this? With us? Now that you know who I am, and more importantly, what I am?"

Tug looked into her eyes before replying "Lauren, do you remember our lives before we started going to this school?"

"Yes," she replied, slightly confused as to what he was getting at.

"Then you must remember how big a crush I had on you." Tug supplied.

"Yes," this time she replied with a laugh.

"And you also remember how ecstatic I was when you said you would out with me?" Tug added with a crooked smile.

"Yes, but Tug where are you going with this?" Lauren asked him, arching a delicate eyebrow.

"I'm getting there." Tug informed her before continuing. "I need someone to live or die for. I need someone to cherish and adore, and I could never treat you like a princess because you are nowhere near that. You are a queen. Lauren, my love for you has only grown for you, day after day. You're the love of my life and you always will be. You could have a missing eye and an extra hand and I wouldn't care. I love you, Lauren, and I hope you know that."

Lauren wiped a tear out of her eye before replying "Oh, Tug, that was beautiful. I never want to spend a single day of my life without you. You're the love of my life and I will always love you." And with that, Lauren wrapped her arms around Tug's neck and pulled him close before kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up and against him. The kiss lasted a long time but eventually, the need for air made them break apart. The two gazed lovingly into each other's eyes before they exited the aircraft. The remaining ghouls and cadets had gathered around and were talking to each other. Lauren leaned her head against Tug's chest and said "You know, I've been trying to get them to actually talk to each other for ages. Who would have thought this is what it took to accomplish that?"

"I know what you mean." Tug replied, standing behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist.

"If I'd known that, I would have told you guys what we are a long time ago," Lauren told him, glad at the very least that it was off her chest.

"I wish you had. Then I could've appreciated you better. I mean, it's one thing knowing your girlfriend is a totally amazing human. It's another thing entirely to know she's got superpowers." Tug told her, pecking her on the forehead.

The two were silent for a moment before Lauren said "Call me crazy, but I'm in love with today. The beginning wasn't too great but right now I wouldn't change anything for the world."

"I feel the exact same way." Tug told her in a loving voice. The two shared another kiss before walking over and joining the cadets and the ghouls.

* * *

 **The End!**

* * *

 **AN: It has been such an incredible journey writing this story! My first ever fanfic finally completed! Thank you all to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! I hope everyone who has read this story has enjoyed doing so as much as I have writing it. Feel free to check out my other fanfics and thanks again for making all the writing worth it!**


End file.
